Raven S55A accident near Los Lunas, New Mexico, February 28, 1988
On February 28, 1988 at about 3:40 pm local time, a Raven S55A (balloon), registered N81DS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Los Lunas, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 28, 1988 · about 3:40 pm local time
- Place
- Los Lunas, New Mexico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raven S55A · all S55As on the register
- Registration
- N81DS · registry record · serial S55A-74B
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 273 hours in all; 151 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 224 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 353 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 22, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 1,435 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: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from ABQ, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N81DS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 DEN88LA081.