The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mission Boston D-Day LLC
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:
Location: Baraboo, Wisconsin
Accident Number: CEN21LA333
Date and Time: July 22, 2021, 19:00 Local
Registration: N51CF
Aircraft: Boeing E75
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Collision during takeoff/land
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
Analysis
The pilot of the biplane reported that while on the final approach for the grass runway, he was maneuvering the airplane for landing to touchdown at the runway threshold markers. The airplane impacted an unmarked gray metal chain-link fence, about 8 ft tall, located about 250 ft from the runway threshold markers. The pilot reported the “fence blended in pretty well with the grass.” The airplane came to rest inverted on the runway and sustained substantial damage to both wings and the empennage. The pilot stated that the visibility at the time of the accident was “good,” and the lighting was “a little unusual from all the fires out west and I never saw the fence.” The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe and the engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause and Findings
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the fence while on final approach.
Findings
Personnel issues Monitoring environment - Pilot
Aircraft Altitude - Not attained/maintained
Environmental issues Wire - Awareness of condition
Factual Information
History of Flight
Approach-VFR pattern final Collision during takeoff/land (Defining event)
Pilot Information
Certificate: Commercial
Age: 67, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine land; Multi-engine land
Seat Occupied: Rear
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: 4-point
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed:
Medical Certification: Class 2 With waivers/limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: March 19, 2021
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: June 25, 2021
Flight Time: 3032 hours (Total, all aircraft), 134 hours (Total, this make and model), 2883 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 40 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 33 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 4 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Boeing
Registration: N51CF
Model/Series: E75
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1941
Amateur Built:
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 75-5604
Landing Gear Type: Tailwheel
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: April 25, 2021 Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 3200 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 3677 Hrs as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: Pratt & Whitney
ELT: C91A installed, activated, did not aid in locating accident
Engine Model/Series: R-985 Series
Registered Owner:
Rated Power: 450 Horsepower
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Does Business As: None
Operator Designator Code: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual (VMC)
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KDLL,976 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 18:55 Local
Direction from Accident Site: 134°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Visibility: 10 miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 3 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: None / None
Wind Direction: 200°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: N/A / N/A
Altimeter Setting: 30.09 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 27°C / 20°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Mason City, IA (MCW)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Baraboo, WI
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 17:30 Local
Type of Airspace: Class E
Airport Information
Airport: BARABOO-WISCONSIN DELLS RGNL DLL
Runway Surface Type: Grass/turf
Airport Elevation: 979 ft msl
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 14/32
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 2746 ft / 100 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Full stop; Traffic pattern
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries:
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None
Latitude, Longitude: 43.524428,-89.777409 (est)
"A private plane trying to land at a grass strip at Baraboo-Wisconsin Dells Regional Airport Thursday night flipped after its landing gear caught a chain link fence.
ReplyDeleteThe pilot, a 67-year-old man from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, was uninjured. There were no other occupants.
According to a press release, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the crash at 7:10 p.m. and was told the pilot had safely exited the plane which landed upside down.
The 1941 Boeing-Stearman Model 75/PT-17 single-engine biplane is owned by owned by Mission Boston D-Day LLC of Newport Beach, California, according Federal Aviation Administration records." https://www.wiscnews.com/baraboonewsrepublic/news/local/watch-now-no-one-hurt-as-private-plane-crashes-in-baraboo/article_0313fec2-4a37-5f8b-947b-6802d9b2967f.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1