Raven S55A accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 28, 2001
On April 28, 2001 at about 2:41 pm local time, a Raven S55A (balloon), registered N40555, was substantially damaged in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain a visual lookout during approach. A contributing factor was the power lines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 2001 · about 2:41 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raven S55A · all S55As on the register
- Registration
- N40555 · no longer on the register · serial S55A-859
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was approaching to land the balloon in an open field. The pilot stated that she was "aware that there were power lines to the right," and she made altitude adjustments to maintain clearance. The pilot did not see additional power lines in the area until just before impact. The basket uprights contacted the wires. She opened the emergency dump valve and ventilated the envelope. The envelope became entangled in the power lines and was cut be in two. The basket then dropped approximately 30 to 40 feet. The broken power lines fell to the ground and burned a hole into the cement sidewalk.
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: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 38 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 22 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 24, 1999
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 532 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 10, 2001; 527 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,435 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Albuquerque NM at 1:57 pm
- Destination: NONE Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from ABQ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN01LA092.