Raven S77A accident near Silverthorne, Colorado, July 3, 1987
On July 3, 1987 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Raven S77A (balloon), registered N41986, was involved in an accident near Silverthorne, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 9 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 1987 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Silverthorne, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 9 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raven S77A
- Registration
- N41986 · no longer on the register · serial S77A101
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMERCIAL BALLOON PILOT WAS CONDUCTING PASSENGER FLIGHTS. A LANDING WAS BEING MADE ON A PARKING LOT WITH TEN KNOTS OF WIND AND GUSTS TO TWENTY KNOTS. JUST AT TOUCHDOWN A LIGHT GUST CAUGHT THE BALLOON AND DRAGGED IT ONE HUNDRED FEET. ONE PASSENGER CHOSE TO JUMP OUT OF THE BASKET AND THE BASKET ROLLED OVER HIM RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURIES. NONE OF THE OTHER EIGHT PASSENGERS LEFT THE BASKET AND THERE WERE NO OTHER INJURIES.
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: 1,780 hours in all; 50 in the last 90 days; 1,780 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 320 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 8 |
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.
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.