Raven S-60A N8EN
8 October 1992 · Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 8 October 1992 at about 13:32 local time, a Raven S-60A registered N8EN, operated by Butterfield, Richard S., was involved in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. 8 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured, 4 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 13:32
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.0603, -106.6197
- Aircraft
- Raven S-60A
- Registration
- N8EN
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Butterfield, Richard S.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW93LA010
People
2 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT OF THE OTHER AIRCRAFT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN VISUAL LOOKOUT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT OF BALLOON 'A' INITIATED AN ASCENT FROM APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET AGL AT AN ESTIMATED RATE OF 300 FEET PER MINUTE. THE PILOT STATED ANOTHER BALLOON IMPACTED HIS ENVELOPE WITH ITS BASKET AT AN ESTIMATED 350 FEET AGL. THE UPPER PORTION OF THE BALLOONS FABRIC WAS TORN AND RUPTURED. BALLOON 'A' PILOT INITIATED AN EMERGENCY DESCENT AND LANDED HARD. THE PILOT OF BALLOON 'B' STATED HER ALTITUDE TO BE APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET AGL WHEN THE MIDAIR OCCURRED. SHE STATED WHEN SHE SAW BALLOON 'A' SHE STARTED BURNING CONTINUOUSLY AND OBSERVED AN ASCENT RATE OF 500 FEET PER MINUTE ON HER VSI. AFTER IMPACT SHE UNTANGLED THE BASKET FROM THE OTHER BALLOON'S ENVELOPE AND MADE A NORMAL LANDING. THE FAA INSPECTOR REPORTED THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS AS DESCRIBED BY GROUND OBSERVERS TO BE MORE NEAR THE STATEMENT MADE BY THE PILOT OF BALLOON 'A'. HE ALSO STATED ANY BALLOON POSITIONED HIGHER THAN OTHERS IS RESPONSIBLE TO 'SEE AND AVOID'.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raven S-60A S-60A | N8EN | Butterfield, Richard S. | Substantial |
| Raven S55A S55A | N57115 | Martin-Rowlee, Judith L. | - |
Other Raven S-60A accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jul 1992 | Raven S-60A | Dover, Florida, United States | ROY W. Webster | Fatal | 1 |
| 2 Jul 1992 | Raven S-60A | Pecos, New Mexico, United States | Bond, Wayne & Chapel, Sally P. | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 1993 | Raven S-60A | Coloma, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Jul 1993 | Raven S-60A | La Jolla, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Sep 1991 | Raven S-60A | Redmond, Washington, United States | ROY Wood | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Oct 1990 | Raven S-60A | Harrison, Arkansas, United States | Mike Mills | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jan 1992 | Cessna 172N | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Thomas Kuehn | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jan 1992 | Beechcraft A36 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Loren Kula, ET al | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Mar 1992 | Bellanca 17-30A | Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States | TIM L. Alton | No injuries | - |
| 1 Mar 1992 | Thorpe T-18 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Gordon Hall | No injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 1992 | Cessna 172F | Folsom, New Mexico, United States | Sheppard AFB Aero Club | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jun 1992 | Piper PA-22-150 | Truth Or Cons, New Mexico, United States | Jones, Richard F. | No injuries | - |