What happened
The pilot and a passenger were on final approach to runway 27 when wind conditions increased and became gusty. During the approach, witnesses observed the unidentified aircraft abort its landing attempt and enter a go-around attitude. The airplane climbed at an unusually steep angle before performing a left turn with a 50-degree bank. Following this maneuver, the aircraft stalled, rolled, and pitched nose-down into a near-vertical attitude before impacting the ground. There were no survivors of the impact.
Witnesses noted that the engines were revving continuously throughout the sequence. Photographic evidence taken at the scene showed that the flaps and landing gear remained fully extended during the entire event.
The investigation
An examination of the aircraft and its engines revealed no mechanical anomalies prior to the impact. The pilot involved in the accident had accumulated 3,848 hours of total flight experience, while the multiengine-rated passenger had 1,141 hours of total flight experience.
Findings
Airport weather reports issued eight minutes after the accident indicated winds from 190 degrees at 10 knots, gusting to 17 knots. Prior to the weather report issued at the time of the accident, winds had been calm or light and variable throughout the day.