Accident Summary
The pilot reported that he took off from runway 22 at his home airport and flew to an unpaved airstrip located in hilly terrain about 2 miles to the northwest. After overflying the destination airstrip, which was oriented northeast/southwest (approximately 020/200 degrees magnetic), he observed a windsock indicating light winds from the southwest. He entered a left-hand traffic pattern for a landing to the northeast.
Go-Around and Terrain Impact
When the airplane was approximately halfway down the airstrip, it had still not touched down, and the pilot decided to abandon the landing attempt. He applied takeoff power, pitched and trimmed for a climb, established a positive rate of climb, and retracted the flaps. The airplane did not appear to be outclimbing the rising terrain, so the pilot increased the pitch attitude in an attempt to increase the climb rate. The stall warning sounded a few times, and each time the pilot readjusted the pitch as necessary to silence the warning. The pilot continued to fly the runway heading, since he did not want to attempt any turns and thereby risk an aerodynamic stall. The airplane impacted terrain about 1.6 miles from, and about 1,000 feet above, the midpoint of the airstrip.
Post-Impact Fire and Evacuation
A fire, first visible on the right side of the cowling near the battery, quickly ensued, which consumed the fuselage and wings. The passenger and pilot escaped the airplane with minor injuries.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that he did not experience any mechanical conditions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.