Boeing E75 accident near Baraboo, Wisconsin, July 23, 2021
On July 23, 2021, a 1941 Boeing E75, registered N51CF, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Baraboo, Wisconsin (Baraboo-Wisconsin Dells Rgnl airport). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the fence while on final approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 2021
- Place
- Baraboo, Wisconsin · Baraboo-Wisconsin Dells Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing E75, built 1941 · all E75s on the register
- Registration
- N51CF · registry record · serial 75-5604
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision during takeoff/land during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,032 hours in all; 134 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 2,883 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 25, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,677 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 25, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-985 Series (piston); 350 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCW Mason City IA at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14/3, 2,746 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from KDLL
Weather report (METAR): KDLL 222355Z AUTO 20003KT 10SM CLR 27/20 A3009 RMK AO2 T02650195 10280 20252
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN21LA333.