Incident Overview
An airplane experienced a loss of control while attempting to land on a north-south oriented grass runway. According to the official investigation, the aircraft had circled the runway twice before initiating a southward landing approach in the presence of a crosswind estimated at 20 to 30 mph from the west.
Sequence of Events
During the landing attempt, the airplane stalled and subsequently executed a full 360-degree roll. The pilot was unable to regain control, and the aircraft struck the ground in an almost level attitude with minimal forward movement. A witness reported that the pilot had overshot the runway centerline and steepened the turn in an effort to realign with the centerline, at which point control was lost.
Pilot Experience
The pilot had accumulated a total flight time of 390 hours, of which only 20 hours were received through dual instruction.