Flight and Maneuver
A flight instructor, a student pilot, and a passenger were aboard the airplane for an instructional flight. After conducting several landings at another airport, the airplane approached a 2,125-foot-long grass airstrip from the west. Due to rising terrain to the west, landings at this airstrip are made to the west, takeoffs to the east, and go-arounds are potentially dangerous.
Two witnesses observed the airplane descend on final approach to a point from which both believed a normal landing could have been made. When the airplane reached an altitude of 6 to 10 feet above ground level, engine power was added for a go-around. However, the airplane did not climb straight ahead. It turned left about 90 degrees and entered a steep climb, ascending to about 100 feet above ground level before stalling and descending vertically to ground impact.
Airplane Examination
Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any discrepancies that would have prevented normal operation of the airplane.
Instructor's Medical Information
The instructor's toxicology test results were positive for fluoxetine, a prescription anti-depressant. On his most recent application for a second class airman medical certificate in October 2003, the instructor noted a history of an unspecified injury from an F-16 ejection and continued pain with three years of antidepressant use (but none for the prior two years). The instructor was issued a medical certificate, and the FAA did not request or receive any additional medical information from the instructor.
Review of U.S. Air Force and Veteran's Affairs (VA) medical records revealed that the instructor had severe and ongoing symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that started following his crash of an F-16 in 1992, in which he sustained a significant head injury. The VA records noted panic attacks and checking behaviors as recently as August 2004, in spite of the use of multiple psychiatric medications.
Scenario and Handling
The circumstances of this accident are such that a typical instructor would have been expected to avoid the scenario that resulted in the crash, either by continuing the landing or by properly executing a timely go-around. OCD patients can experience delayed decision-making. The handling of the airplane afterward suggested that the instructor was unable to take the actions necessary to avoid the accident.