What happened
The incident occurred while a student pilot was attempting to land on a private airstrip. During the initial approach, the aircraft developed an excessive sink rate as it passed over a ravine situated just short of the runway's approach end. Recognizing the unstable descent, the pilot aborted the first landing attempt and initiated a go-around.
The pilot then commenced a second approach to the same strip. Similar to the previous attempt, the aircraft again encountered a significant sink rate while crossing the ravine. However, in this instance, the pilot delayed initiating the go-around maneuver. As the aircraft descended further, the landing gear struck brush located short of the runway threshold. The impact caused the airplane to flip over before it could reach the paved surface.
The investigation
Examination of the wreckage and review of the flight dynamics indicated that the primary issue was the inability to maintain a stable glide path over the terrain feature. The delay in executing the go-around on the second attempt allowed the aircraft to descend below safe clearance heights, leading to ground contact with the brush.
Findings
The accident was caused by the pilot's failure to initiate a timely go-around during the second approach, compounded by the unstable approach profile over the ravine. The terrain feature played a critical role in the loss of control and subsequent rollover.