Cessna 172-N, VH-TKH, 25 km north-west of Oakey, Queensland, on 21 November 1990

Circumstances:

The pilot reported that he had flown to the destination area but was experiencing difficulty in locating the strip. He located an area that he thought might be the strip and carried out an inspection from a low height with full flap selected. About halfway along the paddock the pilot decided that the area was not the strip he was looking for and applied power to climb and retracted the flaps. The aircraft stalled and struck the ground in a nose down attitude.

Significant Factors:

The following factors were considered relevant to the development of the accident:

1. The pilot made an improper decision to conduct the inspection using full flap.

2. He did not maintain adequate airspeed.

3. He retracted the flaps prematurely during the go around. This accident was not the subject of an on-scene investigation.