What happened
During a visual circuit at an altitude of 600 feet, the aircraft was performing a left-hand pattern for runway 26. The flight, which had previously consisted of three hours of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations, was in its final approach phase with two notches of flaps deployed.
As the aircraft approached the runway, the right side of the wing root and the airframe collided with the top of a tree. The impact occurred approximately 80 meters before the runway threshold and 30 meters to the right of the extended centerline. Following the collision, the aircraft hit the ground with significant force, lost control, and eventually stopped in a grassy field running parallel to the runway.
Findings
- The aircraft was destroyed during the impact.
- All five occupants managed to evacuate the wreckage without injury.
- The collision with the tree was the primary event leading to the loss of control.