Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to retract the flaps during a go-around from a bounced landing, which resulted in a collision with trees then terrain.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The airplane owner, who was a student pilot, reported that the pilot-rated passenger was the pilot flying. During landing, the airplane bounced and the owner took control of the airplane and initiated a go-around. He stated that the airplane was slow to climb with the flaps fully extended and they cleared the first tree line but impacted another tree farther away from the airstrip. The owner reported he did not recall anything after the tree contact but did say that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the airframe or engine. The airplane came to rest upright among small diameter trees in a nose-low, tail high attitude with the right wing substantially damaged.