Raven S-77A N40968
21 March 1987 · Park City, Utah, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 21 March 1987 at about 18:00 local time, a Raven S-77A registered N40968 was involved in an accident near Park City, Utah, United States. 9 people were on board and one died, 8 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 18:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Park City, Utah, United States
- Coordinates
- 40.6394, -111.4893
- Aircraft
- Raven S-77A
- Registration
- N40968
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Park City → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN87FA069
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
WHILE ON A COMMERCIAL PAX SIGHTSEEING FLT, THE PLT ALLOWED A NON-RATED STUDENT PLT TO FLY THE BALLOON UNTIL IT NEARLY COLLIDED WITH BUILDINGS. THE PLT TOOK OVER THE CONTROLS AND APPLIED MAXIMUM BURNER HEATING TO AVOID IMPACT WITH THE BUILDINGS, WHICH RESULTED IN RAPID ASCENT TO APPROXIMATELY 3,000 FEET AGL. WINDS AT THAT ALTITUDE BLEW THE BALLOON OUT OF THE SMALL OPEN VALLEY WHERE THE FLTS WERE NORMALLY CONDUCTED. IT CROSSED A RIDGELINE AND WAS FLYING OVER MOUNTAINOUS/HILLY TERRAIN WHERE THE PLT INITIATED A DESCENT FOR LANDING. THE BALLOON IMPACTED TRANSMISSION POWER LINES AT APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE GONDOLA WAS SEVERED FROM THE BALLOON BY ELECTRICAL ARCING AND FELL TO THE GROUND. THE NATURAL GAS FUEL TANKS EXPLODED AND BURNED, DESTROYING THE GONDOLA.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Oct 1987 | Cessna 152 | Tremonton, Utah, United States | Professional Flight Services | No injuries | - |
| 9 Oct 1987 | Cessna 182P | Monument Valley, Utah, United States | Groomer, Ellis G. | No injuries | - |
| 22 Oct 1987 | Beechcraft C45G | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Feb 1987 | Cessna 185C | Cedar City, Utah, United States | Keith R. Hooker, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jan 1987 | Swearingen SA-226TC | Kearns, Utah, United States | Sky West Airlines Inc. | Fatal | 10 |
| 26 Mar 1987 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Park City, Utah, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |