Raven S-60A accident near Tampa, Florida, October 15, 1988
On October 15, 1988 at about 11:45 am local time, a Raven S-60A (balloon), registered N65523, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tampa, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- October 15, 1988 · about 11:45 am local time
- Place
- Tampa, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raven S-60A · all S-60As on the register
- Registration
- N65523 · no longer on the register · serial 560A-3073
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG AN APCH TO LAND, THE PLT SAW SOME BUSHES & ANOTHER BALLOON (WHICH HAD ALREADY LANDED) IN HIS INTENDED LANDING AREA. HE APPLIED BURNER TO SOAR OVER THE OBSTACLES, THEN PULLED THE ENVELOPE VENT TO QUICKLY DESCEND AFTER THE OBSTACLES HAD BEEN CLEARED. HE RPRTD THAT WITH NO PAX ABOARD, THE REACTION TIME OF THE VENTING PROCESS TOOK LONGER THAN ANTICIPATED. THE BALLOON WAS LANDED NEXT TO POWER LINES, & SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ENVELOPE BECAME DRAPED OVER THE LINES. A FIRE ERUPTED FROM CONTACT WITH THE LINES & HOLES WERE BURNED IN THE ENVELOPE. THE PLT STATED THE BALLOON WAS TOO BIG TO FLY IN WINDY CONDITIONS WITH ONLY A PLT ABOARD. HE BELIEVED THE ACDNT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED BY HAVING MORE WEIGHT ON BOARD IN THE FORM OF PAX OR BALLAST.
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: 1,480 hours in all; 36 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 8, 1988; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Orange Blossom Balloons, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
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.
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.