March 14, Thermal, Calif. / Cessna 172

At 1400 Pacific time, the Skyhawk collided with terrain during a go-around from the pilots private dirt strip and was substantially damaged. While attempting to land, the pilot lowered about 20 degrees of flap but noted that he was higher than normal on final appproach. After touching down in soft dirt about 700 feet down the runway, the pilot attempted a go-around by adding full power and leaving the flaps down. The pilot climbed to about 100 feet and turned left, but the airplane began to lose altitude. After completing a 180-degree turn and lowering the nose in an effort to regain airspeed, the airplane settled into brush and collided with terrain. The pilot later reported the temperature to be about 95 degrees Fahrenheit-he thought that high density altitude prevented the airplane from producing enough power to climb.