Accident Sequence
A Piper PA-28-180 collided with portable buildings on the airport after an in-flight loss of control. The pilot reported having problems receiving radio transmissions. The air traffic control tower cleared the pilot to land on the runway most into the wind.
The airplane continued past the active runway and approached a perpendicular runway, resulting in a quartering tailwind. It overshot the final approach course of the perpendicular runway and initiated a go-around. During the go-around, witnesses observed the airplane not gaining altitude and at a slow airspeed. The witnesses also indicated that the sound of the engine appeared normal. The airplane then turned right, into a quartering headwind, stalled, and descended vertically to the ground.
Environmental Conditions
At the time of the accident, the wind velocity was 13 knots. The density altitude was computed to be about 7,500 feet MSL. According to the pilot operating handbook for the Piper PA-28-180, the airplane should have been capable of a 375 foot per minute rate of climb.