Raven S-55A accident near Bentonville, Arkansas, May 1, 1993
On May 1, 1993 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Raven S-55A (balloon), registered N6465K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bentonville, Arkansas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AIRCRAFT CONTROL WAS NOT MAINTAINED BY THE PILOT. A FACTOR WAS UNFAVORABLE WINDS
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 1, 1993 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Bentonville, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raven S-55A · all S-55As on the register
- Registration
- N6465K · no longer on the register · serial S55A-3022
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE WIND PICKED UP THE BALLOON AND DRAGGED IT INTO A BARBED WIRE FENCE WHILE THE BALLOON WAS BEING DEFLATED AFTER LANDING. WINDS IN THE AREA WERE REPORTED FROM THE SOUTH AT 9 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 218 hours in all; 149 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 207 as pilot in command; 32 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 252 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1992; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Rogers AR at 10:45 pm
- Destination: NONE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:52 pm from FYV, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.