Aerostar Raven S57-A accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 13, 2001
On October 13, 2001 at about 1:55 pm local time, a Aerostar Raven S57-A (balloon), registered N3636Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico. 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
inadvertent flight into adverse (high wind) weather conditions, which resulted in an inflight collision with objects while landing. A contributing factor was the high wind weather condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 13, 2001 · about 1:55 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · 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
- Registration
- N3636Z · registry record · serial S57A-3077
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot intended for the flight to be short; however, after takeoff, the wind increased and the balloon over flew the intended landing area. The pilot then selected a field at a school in which to land. The field had wires along its edge. As the balloon was clearing the wires, the pilot vented the balloon, but the balloon continued to float past the field, impacting a wooden telephone post located near a building. The balloon rotated, struck the building, and came to rest with its basket on a fence. The pilot reported that at the time of the accident, the wind had increased to approximately 30 knots with gusts to 35 knots. A weather reporting station located approximately 7 miles southeast of the accident site reported the wind speed at 10 knots.
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: 62 hours in all; 62 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 47 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 7, 2000
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 330.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 9, 2001; 66.6 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Albuquerque NM at 1:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from ABQ, 7 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.
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.