Incident Details
Shortly after takeoff, an aircraft contacted a row of trees and crashed in a residential area. The aircraft had established a positive rate of climb before encountering a downdraft, as reported by the pilot.
Pilot Report
The pilot stated that after the downdraft was encountered, the airspeed decreased. The pilot continued flying the aircraft at an airspeed just above stall speed.
Sequence of Events
During the descent, the aircraft cleared an initial group of trees but then contacted the tops of two pine trees, approximately 78 feet tall. Following the tree strike, the aircraft stalled and descended to impact with the terrain.