What happened
The pilot departed from a hunting camp located approximately two miles south of the accident site roughly five minutes before the event. While performing a low pass across the intended landing site, the pilot observed that some flags tied to nearby brush were blowing in the wind while others remained limp. During this maneuver, the aircraft encountered a significant gain followed by a loss of airspeed.
As the pilot initiated a turn to return to the camp, the aircraft experienced a wing drop and ceased flying effectively. In an attempt to recover, the pilot lowered the nose to increase airspeed but was forced to pull up just before contacting the ground. Following the impact, witnesses and the pilot noted that dust devils were visible in the area.
The pilot was wearing a helmet and was secured by both a lap belt and a shoulder harness. He sustained compressive fractures of the spine, though he suffered no head injuries. The impact caused the cockpit instrument panel and forward-left tube cluster to dent, and the pilot's helmet was split open.