Incident Overview
An airplane was on approach to a runway when it descended below the treetops. A witness observed the airplane below the tree line and reported that the engine began revving as if the pilot had increased power. The witness stated, "It looked like he was trying to get over [the trees] but at the same time or maybe two seconds later his left wing hit one of the tree's. The plane was pulled to the left bouncing around in the trees, one tree kind of kicked the tail of the plane up sending it into a nose dive straight down."
Accident Sequence
The airplane struck the tops of trees approximately 75 feet tall, located about half a mile from the runway. After impacting the trees, the aircraft continued through the foliage and came to rest in a residential backyard.
Examination Findings
A post-accident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of pre-impact malfunctions in either the airframe or the engine. The tachometer indicated that the airplane had accumulated 5.4 hours since its last annual inspection, which had been performed approximately five months prior to the accident.
Pilot Information
The pilot, who was 80 years old at the time of the accident, held a total flight experience of approximately 1,660 hours. In the two years preceding the accident, the pilot logged 28.5 hours in 1997 and 11.5 hours in 1998.