Raven S-55A-707 accident near Glendale, Arizona, April 15, 1984
On April 15, 1984 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Raven S-55A-707 (balloon), registered N5717H, was involved in an accident near Glendale, Arizona. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was 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
- April 15, 1984 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Glendale, Arizona
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raven S-55A-707 · all S-55A-707s on the register
- Registration
- N5717H · registry record · serial S-55A-707
- 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 SIGHT-SEEING FLT, THE WINDS, OUTSIDE AIR TEMP & PROPANE GAS BURNER TEMP BEGAN INCREASING, SO THE PLT ELECTED TO LAND. HE NOTIFIED THE CHASE CREW, STARTED A DESCENT & ANTICIPATED MAKING A 'DROP LINE' LANDING. AS THE BALLOON BEGAN CROSSING OVER A DRY RIVER AT ABOUT 200 FT AGL, IT WAS DESCENDING AT APRX 75 FT/MIN. THE PLT STATED THAT AT ABOUT THAT TIME, A DOWNDRAFT FORCED THE BALLOON TO THE RIVER BED, THEN THE WIND DRAGGED IT INTO THE RIVER BANK. OBSERVERS SAID THE TOP OF THE BALLOON WAS SUDDENLY DISTORTED FROM DOWNDRAFT. THE PLT STATED EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL, THEN 'THE WIND HIT THE BALLOON' & THERE WERE 'NO TREES, FLAGS, SMOKE OR DUST TO ANTICIPATE THE WIND SHEAR.'
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: 309 hours in all; 309 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 291 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 352 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 18, 1984; 91 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,435 lb
- Seats: 1
- 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 225° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.