Raven AX-8 accident near Clark, Colorado, August 30, 1984
On August 30, 1984 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Raven AX-8 (balloon), registered N4394E, was involved in an accident near Clark, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 1984 · about 2:00 pm local time · cases in 1984
- Place
- Clark, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raven AX-8
- Registration
- N4394E · registry record
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A NORMAL HIGH WIND LANDING A PAX RECEIVED TWO FRACTURES OF THE FIBULA BONE. ANOTHER PAX REPORTED THAT THE INJURED PAX WAS STANDING ON ONE LEG WITH THE OTHER KNEE BENT RESTING ON A PROPANE TANK DURING THE LANDING. PAX WERE REPORTEDLY BRIEFED ON THE PROPER TOUCHDOWN FOOTING STANCE BEFORE THE FLIGHT AND AGAIN RIGHT BEFORE 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 95 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 710 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None NONE (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4394E on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Raven 106 aircraft on the register
- Engine: None NONE · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 384 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,464 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN84LA289.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.