NTSB Factual Report

On November 15, 2003, at 1618 eastern standard time, a Cessna 170B, N2521D registered to and operated by a private pilot collided with a tree during an attempted go-around at High Valley Airpark, Suches, Georgia. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, with no flight plan filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot received serious injuries and the four passengers reported minor injuries. The flight departed Lawrenceville, Georgia, on November 15, 2003, at 1600.

According to the pilot, during a local flight he made an attempt to land at a private airstrip. While on short final to land on runway 02 the pilot decided he did not have enough runway available to stop the airplane after touchdown, and initiated a go-around. As the pilot reduced the flaps the airplane began to descend towards the trees. According to the pilot, as he attempted to climb, the airplane stalled and collided with the trees.

Examination of the airplane revealed the left outboard wing broke off and the airplane came to rest nose down at the base of the tree. No mechanical or flight control malfunctions were report by the pilot prior to the accident.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a go-round that resulted in an inadvertent stall and the subsequent collision with trees.