MIA98LA129

While turning from base leg to final leg on approach to landing at a grass strip the aircraft encountered wind gusts. The aircraft descended and the pilot could not stop the descent prior to the aircraft colliding with trees. The homebuilt aircraft was not registered with the FAA and the pilot did not hold any FAA pilot or medical certificates.

On April 11, 1998, about 1645 eastern daylight time, an unregistered, homebuilt, Kolb Firestart airplane, collided with trees during approach to land at a private strip near Dallas, Georgia, while on a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was destroyed and the non-rated pilot received serious injuries. The flight originated from the private strip minutes before the accident.

The pilot stated he took off from an 800-foot grass strip. He flew around for about 8 minutes and then made a left pattern to return to the strip for a landing to the north. While turning from base leg to final leg he encountered a strong tail wind or downdraft. The aircraft began to sink and he applied full power, attempting to climb. The aircraft struck the top of tree at the south end of the runway.

The aircraft was not registered with the Federal Aviation Administration. The aircraft builder had reserved a registration number for the aircraft; however, he did not register the aircraft with the FAA after it was built. The pilot did not hold any FAA pilot or medical certificates.