Background
A night cross-country flight originated from Manhattan, Kansas, where the four college students on board had attended a Kansas State-Texas A&M football game. The flight made a fuel stop at Oklahoma City near midnight.
Approach and Go-Around
The pilot reported making visual contact with Easterbrook Field Airport from 15 miles north. After obtaining the weather, he began a descent for a straight-in approach to Runway 16. On short final, the pilot judged that his rate of descent was too steep and decided to perform a go-around when the aircraft was approximately 40 feet above the runway. During the go-around, after applying full power and retracting the landing gear and flaps, the airplane stalled.
Pilot Observations
In a written statement under “Other General Observations,” the pilot indicated that he was extremely fatigued, citing a 20-hour day, an 8.5-hour flight day, and the chronic fatigue of being a college student. He also reported feeling intense pressure from the passengers to return to Texas, describing it as “get-there-itis.” Additionally, the pilot noted that this was only his second night landing in the airplane and that he considered himself to have low time in the aircraft.