Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the landing approach, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low to recover.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot reported that, while turning the airplane from a downwind to base leg to an off-airport landing site, the airplane’s left wing stalled, and the airplane began to spin. The pilot did not have sufficient altitude to recover, and the airplane descended into a river short of the intended landing area. The airplane was destroyed and was unrecoverable. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.