What happened
The pilot reported that he was positioned on the base leg of the traffic pattern due to a student pilot who was performing touch-and-go landings. As the aircraft turned down the final approach path, the runway appeared shorter than anticipated. The pilot initiated a go-around by applying power; however, the engine response was insufficient to arrest the descent. The aircraft continued beyond the end of the runway, descended over a small hill, and impacted a strawberry field. Upon impact, the airplane nosed over into an inverted position.
The investigation
No mechanical examination details were provided in the source narrative.
Findings
The accident was primarily caused by the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the go-around maneuver after misjudging the available runway length. Contributing factors included the presence of a student pilot conducting touch-and-go landings, which altered the traffic pattern dynamics and likely influenced the pilot's situational awareness regarding runway distance.
Safety message
Pilots must remain vigilant when operating in patterns with student pilots and should carefully assess runway length availability before committing to a landing or go-around. Proper energy management during low-altitude maneuvers is critical to ensuring safe recovery from unexpected situations.