The airplane was completing a circuit in the landing pattern. When a witness saw it, it was about half way down the 2,200-foot runway, about 10 feet above the ground. The airplane appeared as if it was going to land; however, "if [the pilot] had landed, he would've overrun the runway." The witness's view was blocked once the airplane passed by, but he heard the engine running. The witness did not hear any change in the engine's power setting, but subsequently heard the airplane crash. The pilot took no action to avoid trees, that would have been clearly visible and directly in front of the airplane, by either a shallow turn or a slight increase in rate of climb. Initial tree impacts were about 60 feet high, and 350 feet directly beyond the end of the runway. Despite resuscitation efforts for nearly an hour after the accident, the pilot never regained a heartbeat. Autopsy results revealed an occlusion of the left main coronary artery, and there were no injuries noted that would have resulted in an immediate death from impact. A postcrash examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

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