Amateur-built EAA BIPLANE SR-1 accident near Sprimg Greem, Wisconsin, August 27, 1985
On August 27, 1985, a amateur-built EAA BIPLANE SR-1, registered N3541, was destroyed in an accident near Sprimg Greem, Wisconsin (Tri-County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- August 27, 1985
- Place
- Sprimg Greem, Wisconsin · Tri-County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built EAA BIPLANE SR-1 EAA BIPLAN
- Registration
- N3541 · no longer on the register · serial 1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
EAA BI PLANE N3541, PILOTED BY JOHN BOATRIGHT, AND REGISTERED TO FREEBORN COUNTY AIRCRAFT INC., ALBERT LEA, MINNESOTA, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING A LANDING APPROACH TO RUNWAY 27 AT THE LONE ROCK AIRPORT AT APPROXIMATELY 1900 CDT ON AUGUST 26, 1985. THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND AND SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SERIOUR INJURIES. MR. BOATRIGHT REPORTED THAT HIS ATTENTION WAS DIVERTED AS HE REDUCED POWER TURNIGN FINAL. HE STATED THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED A SPIN. HE STATED HE RECOVERED FROM THE SPIN, BUT WAS TOO LOW TO AVOID COLLISION WITH GROUND. VISUAL METEORLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 250 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 525 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 4, 1984; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,012 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C8512F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 4,050 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.