RJ Mitte Enjoyed Hot Air Balloon Ride With 'Breaking Bad' Costar Days Before Death

RJ Mitte checked an item off his bucket list days before his death ... taking his first hot air balloon ride alongside his "Breaking Bad" costar Luis Moncada.

RJ, who played Walter White Jr. on the hit AMC series, reunited with Luis at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico on October 4 ... just 8 days before his death.

Luis played Marco Salamanca, one of the notorious Salamanca twins on the show.

In a touching statement, StrangeKind Ballooning says RJ was all smiles during the outing, greeting passengers, laughing with the crew, and making everyone feel welcome.

Turns out, the flight was a long time coming ... RJ told the company he'd actually worked on a balloon crew while in Albuquerque filming "Breaking Bad," but his contract prevented him from ever going up in one.

After years of helping balloons take off, he finally got his chance to enjoy the view.

The company says RJ happily posed for photos with fans after landing ... and even stuck around to help pack up the balloon.

One crew member summed up the experience ... "Wow, it was like we flew a family member."

StrangeKind says it had hoped to welcome RJ back for another flight ... never imagining their first morning together would also be their last.

As TMZ first reported ... RJ died by suicide Monday in Texas at age 34.

His death has rocked the "Breaking Bad" family ... with Bryan Cranston, who played RJ's onscreen father Walter White, sharing his heartbreak over the loss. Aaron Paul, who played Jesse Pinkman, also paid tribute to his late costar, as did Dean Norris, who played Walt Jr.'s Uncle Hank.

StrangeKind ended its tribute with a touching message to RJ, saying it hoped his first flight brought him some of the happiness he gave everyone around him.