What happened
A pilot was conducting a pleasure flight and approaching his destination, intending to land on runway 20, which is a turf strip measuring 2,350 feet in length and 125 feet in width. Upon arrival at the airport, the wind sock indicated a direct crosswind relative to the runway. During the final approach, the pilot attempted to slip the aircraft into the landing. The pilot reported that the aircraft was too low on final approach and he realized an impact with trees was imminent. In an attempt to avoid the obstacle, the pilot leveled the wings, resulting in the aircraft clipping the trees. The impact caused the airplane to spin 180 degrees before coming to rest on the ground.
Findings
At the time of the accident, weather observations from an airport approximately 15 miles from the site reported winds from 290 degrees at 15 knots, with gusts reaching 23 knots. The pilot reported that his most recent biennial flight review had occurred approximately six years prior, and his last FAA medical examination was approximately seven years old.