Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during a crosswind landing, which resulted in a hard landing and runway excursion.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
After an uneventful local flight in the single-engine airplane, the pilot entered the landing pattern at his destination airport and the windsock indicated an almost perpendicular crosswind of about 10 knots. On final approach, after clearing a tree line, the pilot reduced engine power to land. As engine power and airspeed were reduced, the airplane's rate of descent suddenly increased. The pilot attempted to slow the rate of descent, but the airplane impacted the runway hard and bounced. The airplane exited the runway and impacted a berm. The nose landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the front lower part of the fuselage and firewall. The pilot stated that, due to the crosswind and the trees at the end and side of the runway, he should have adjusted his landing point further down the runway to avoid possible wind anomalies.