- Date
- January 13, 1985, 09:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Littleton, CO
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N81DSRaven S55A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850113000779A
- Case key
- 16635
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The balloon envelope collided with power lines after dragging the basket & occupants aprx 200 yards along an open fld and through a fence which damaged the basket containing the occupants. The balloon plt said that the wind was only 5 KTS at takeoff but after 30 minutes of flt a wind described by the plt as 'sheer (SIC) from aprx 150 ft to surface, 30-35 mph-flapgs on flag poles standing straight out-looked for lndg area-vented the balloon & prepared for lndg.' Further atatement by the plt contained info that the vent opening created a sail effect to increase the resultant drag. Plt also said, 'tried pulling top out of balloon but only 1/3 of top released causing a dragging effect.' The balloon envelope finally contacted & draped over the power lines & was damaged during the contact & later during removal. Interviews with several commercial balloon plts & a representative of raven industries, sioux falls, SD, revealed that most balloon plts can expect a safe lndg in winds of 10 mph or less & a risk in higher winds.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N81DS
- Reported as
- Raven S55A
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- 748
- Airframe hours
- 252
- Engine
- None NONE, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wynona K. Siverson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 16, 1984 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- Chatfield Reser, CO
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Flight hours
- 144 total · 144 in this make and model · 126 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 30 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point 7 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N81DS · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.