Raven S55A accident near Prairie City, Iowa, September 30, 1984
On September 30, 1984 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Raven S55A (balloon), registered N8517L, was involved in an accident near Prairie City, Iowa. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were 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
- September 30, 1984 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Prairie City, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raven S55A · all S55As on the register
- Registration
- N8517L · no longer on the register · serial S55A-219
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE THE HOT AIR BALLOON WAS AIRBORNE, THE SURFACE WINDS INCREASED TO 13 KTS. THE PLT INSTRUCTED BOTH PASSENGERS TO PREPARE FOR A HIGH WIND LANDING. CONTRARY TO THE PLT'S INSTRUCTIONS, THE PASSENGER, WHO BECAME INJURED, CROUCHED IN THE BOTTOM OF THE BASKET FOR THE LANDING. THE BALLOON BOUNCED 3 TIMES BEFORE COMING TO REST IN A SMALL DITCH. DURING THE LANDING, THE PASSENGER'S KNEE STRUCK AN ANGULAR FOOT RAIL WHICH WAS AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE BASKET. THE RAIL HAD BEEN MADE OF HEAVY, SHARPLY ANGLED METAL. THE PASSENGER WAS HOSPITALIZED FOR A TORN QUADRICEP TENDON.
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: 205 hours in all; 135 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 205 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 247 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 7, 1983; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,435 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Altoona IA at 2:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: at 13 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 10:00 am
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | ||
| Passengers | 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.