On September 21, 2000, at 1855 central daylight time (cdt), a Cessna 172, N7353A, operated by a student pilot was substantially damaged when it impacted the terrain following a go-around attempt from runway 21 (3,215 feet by 50 feet, dry asphalt) at the Buffalo Municipal Airport, Buffalo, Missouri. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan was on file. The student pilot, and two passengers on board the airplane, reported no injuries. The cross-country flight originated at Lebanon, Missouri. In his statement to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the student pilot said that he was flying a solo cross-country flight from Lebanon, Missouri, to Stockton, Missouri, and then back to Lebanon. On arrival over Stockton, the pilot discovered men and equipment on the runway and assumed the airport was closed. On the return to Lebanon, the passengers asked the pilot to make a momentary stop at the closest airport. The pilot went to the Buffalo Municipal Airport. In his written statement, the student pilot said that during his landing attempt at Buffalo, he caught a gust of wind that took the airplane sideways. The student pilot elected to go around. "I put the flaps up and put full throttle. I started to climb, but it (the airplane) wouldn't climb fast enough. I decided to turn into the wind and also away from the runway. I turned toward an open field. Then the stall warning horn started to go off, and then it stalled 10-20 feet above the ground." A FAA inspector examined the airplane at the accident site. The airplane was resting upright in a field. Approximately 50 feet prior to the airplane was a ground scar. Pieces of the nose gear and nose section were found in and around the ground scar. The engine, engine mounts and firewall were bent and broken downward and to the right approximately 45 degrees. The right main landing gear was bent aft. The airplane's right wing, outboard of the strut, was bent upward and wrinkled. Portions of the windscreen were broken out. The propeller showed torsional bending and chordwise scratches. Flight control continuity was confirmed. The wing flaps were partially retracted and the flap handle was in the retracted position. The FAA inspector said that a local policeman informed him that the flaps were full down at the time he arrived at the accident scene. Examination of the engine, engine controls, and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies.