Aerostar RAVEN S57-A accident near Stark, Kansas, November 25, 1995
On November 25, 1995 at about 2:54 pm local time, a Aerostar RAVEN S57-A (balloon), registered N7019G, was involved in an accident near Stark, Kansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to follow emergency procedures. A factor was the weather condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 25, 1995 · about 2:54 pm local time
- Place
- Stark, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerostar RAVEN S57-A RAVEN S57-
- Registration
- N7019G · registry record · serial S-57A-3610
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A HARD LANDING, THE PILOT WAS EJECTED FROM THE BALLOON. THE BALLOON THEN ROSE TO APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET. THE PILOT RAN AFTER THE BALLOON TELLING THE PASSENGERS TO PULL THE RED CHORD WHICH WOULD OPEN THE DEFLATION PANEL. THE PASSENGERS PULLED OPEN THE DEFLATION PANEL AND THE BALLOON DESCENDED RAPIDLY AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. ONE PASSENGER WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED DURING THE LANDING. THE MANUFACTURER'S REPRESENTATIVE CLASSIFIED A HIGH WIND LANDING, FOR THE AVERAGE BALLOON PILOT, AS ANYTHING BETWEEN 7 AND 14 KNOTS. EMERGENCY PROCEDURES FOR HIGH WIND LANDINGS IS TO OPEN THE DEFLATION PANEL AT 10-20 FEET AGL DURING THE LANDING.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 1,953 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,893 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 33 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 21, 1995; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KS at 2:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from CNU, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N7019G the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.