What happened
During a period of low altitude maneuvering, the pilot-in-command attempted to overfly a friend's residence. While executing a steep left turn intended to complete a 360-degree circle, the pilot observed a large pine tree approximately 30 feet ahead of the aircraft. Although the pilot attempted to pull up to avoid the obstacle, the aircraft impacted the tree. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the plane and caused serious injuries to the pilot-in-command.
Following the collision, the pilot-rated passenger took control of the aircraft and successfully landed without further incident. During the subsequent report, the passenger noted that neither the pilot-in-command nor the passenger were wearing their shoulder harnesses at the time of the accident.