What happened
The flight began under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) conditions as the pilot departed toward the destination airport. During the flight, the cloud base lowered and visibility decreased, prompting the pilot to transition to Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). After receiving clearance to climb from 2,000 feet to 4,000 feet, ice began accumulating on the airplane's windshield.
While maintaining an altitude of 4,000 feet, the icing continued, forcing the pilot to descend back to 2,000 feet to avoid further accumulation. During the final approach, as the aircraft descended through a cloud layer approximately 500 feet above the ground, the ice began to shed from the airframe. However, residual ice remained on the windshield, making it difficult for the pilot to judge the distance to the runway. To maintain visual reference with the ground, the pilot was forced to look through the side window.
The aircraft subsequently made a hard touchdown on the runway. The impact was severe enough that the main landing gear pushed upward through the wings.
Findings
An investigation into the flight conditions revealed that an AIRMET had been issued for light, occasional, and moderate rime and mixed icing in clouds and precipitation below 22,000 feet along the route of flight. Additionally, records indicated that the pilot did not obtain a weather briefing from Flight Service Station (FSS) prior to the flight.