What happened
The pilot arrived at an unfamiliar grass strip and circled the airport twice to assess the conditions before entering the traffic pattern for a landing. Upon final approach, the pilot realized that the aircraft was touching down too far down the runway, commonly referred to as landing long. To avoid overrunning the end of the available pavement, the pilot decided to abort the landing and initiated a go-around procedure.
During the climb-out phase of the go-around, the aircraft's tail section struck the top of a tree located approximately 300 yards from the edge of the runway. An FAA inspector later confirmed that the pilot was attempting to land at an unfamiliar grass strip, which likely contributed to the misjudgment of the approach path.
The investigation
An FAA inspector reviewed the incident and noted that the pilot was operating at an unfamiliar grass strip. This lack of familiarity with the specific airport environment is a critical factor in the sequence of events leading to the collision.