The airplane was destroyed when it impacted a river about 1,000 feet from the approach end of a runway. Witnesses reported that the airplane was in a left hand turn when it descended out of sight behind a tree line. One witness reported that he saw the tail of the airplane "kick straight up" in the air before he lost sight of it behind the tree line. The certified flight instructor reported that the flight was conducted to return him to his home after he had completed a week of flight instruction with the left seat pilot. He stated that there was no plan to land at the accident airport, and that he had no recollection as to why the airplane was diverting to the accident airport. Examination of the airplane revealed no pre-impact anomalies. A postaccident operational engine test was conducted and the engine was able to achieve 2,880 rpm at 27.5 inches of manifold pressure. No pre-impact anomalies were noted.

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

Index for Sep2004 | Index of months