What happened
The pilot diverted the flight en route due to the presence of thunderstorms in the area. During the final approach, the aircraft encountered gusting wind conditions, causing it to drift right of the runway centerline. At 150 feet above ground level (AGL), the pilot initiated a go-around maneuver. However, the aircraft developed a sink rate and subsequently impacted the ground adjacent to the runway. The pilot reported that the airplane failed to climb despite the application of full power.
At the time of the accident, winds were reported from the left front quarter at 7 knots, gusting to 30 knots. The density altitude was approximately 9,200 feet.
The investigation
A post-accident examination of the engine revealed that all piston heads exhibited erosion and all cylinders showed low compression. It was noted that the aircraft had been involved in a separate incident two months prior, during which it had been serviced with 100LL fuel that contained an unspecified amount of Jet-A contamination.