What happened
The incident occurred while the aircraft was on final approach for landing. Wind conditions during the maneuver were variable, shifting between steady airflow and gusty patterns. The pilot perceived that the aircraft's indicated airspeed was excessive for the landing configuration.
In response to this perception, the pilot applied back pressure on the controls, raising the nose of the aircraft to increase drag and bleed off excess speed. As the aircraft decelerated, the pilot failed to lower the nose sufficiently in time to arrest the rate of descent. The aircraft subsequently stalled and impacted the terrain from an altitude of approximately 30 feet above the runway.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight dynamics during the final approach phase. Analysis confirmed that the aircraft entered a stall condition due to excessive angle of attack resulting from the pitch-up maneuver. No mechanical failures were identified as contributing factors.