- Date
- March 7, 1987, 10:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Lake, CO
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2803LRaven S60A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870307005039A
- Case key
- 17174
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 encountered turbulence during normal cruise at 100 to 150 feet AGL, while crossing a ridgeline. Gusts extinguished both burner plt lights and partially collapsed the envelope. The balloon began an uncontrolled descent. The plt re-ignited both burner plt lights and applied full burn to slow the rate of descent. The envelope was impaled on trees and the gondola landed on open ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2803L
- Reported as
- Raven S60A
- Category
- Balloon
- Serial number
- S60A392
- Airframe hours
- 45
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Henry C. Vanschaack
- Registered owner
- Henry C. Van Schaack IV
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 28, 1986 · 20 hours before
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 26
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Unknown
- Flight hours
- 96 total · 96 in this make and model · 87 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °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.