What happened
On July 19, 2017, two pilots were engaged in a planned flight from Riitakorpi to Lapland in separate light aircraft. The first aircraft, a Kitfox IV, departed from the private airfield at approximately 10:50 local time, followed shortly by a Piper J3C-65 Cub Mod.
During the flight, the pilots observed low stratus clouds moving into their intended route. Upon checking weather information via ATIS, they noted cloud ceilings as low as 210 meters. Due to the deteriorating weather, the pilots decided to abort their mission and return to the Riitakorpi airfield to land.
The Kitfox pilot performed a standard approach and landed successfully, vacating the runway to make room for the following aircraft. The Piper pilot began an approach at 11:02, utilizing an exceptionally tight and short landing pattern at an altitude of approximately 190 meters. During the base leg of the approach, the aircraft's airspeed decreased while the rate of descent increased.
As the aircraft completed the base leg, it struck the top of a 25-meter-tall birch tree. While the engine power was significantly increased during this phase, the impact caused the aircraft to crash, resulting in one fatality.