The overloaded Cessna had climbed to about 300 feet when, after entering the turn, it was observed to nose over and lose about half its altitude. A witness stated that the aircraft climbed and dipped two more times before crashing in a steep bank into the desert. No pre- impact malfunction was noted. A question that always comes up after an accident of this type is whether the pilot has ever had a full-load checkout. Climb performance is anemic at sea level under this load condition, let alone at high density altitudes.
Stalls tend to occur more easily and the recovery takes longer.
Half the pilots involved in serious accidents in both the Cessna and comparison aircraft had fewer than 100 hours in type. This is not unique to light training aircraft and indicates that pilots are attempting operations beyond the skill level to which they were trained. Either the pilots should restrict their activities until they have more time in various conditions or the checkouts need to be more rigorous. A combination of the two is the most desirable solution. The flight encountered rain and low clouds, and the pilot attempted to file an IFR flight plan and follow radar vectors.