Incident Details
Upon departure, the wind was favoring runway 25. About 90 minutes later, the pilot returned to the airport for landing. Before landing, he monitored the automated terminal information service (ATIS) of another airport located about 13 miles south. That ATIS indicated a direct crosswind for runway 25.
The pilot aborted his first landing attempt because he was too fast. During the second landing attempt, the airplane touched down, but a gust of wind pushed the empennage to the left. The airplane departed the right side of the runway and struck a tree.
Pilot's Account
The pilot added that before landing, the windsock near the trees appeared "limp," but he did not recall the position of the windsock on top of a hangar. After the accident, the pilot observed the windsock on top of the hangar, and the winds were favoring runway 07. The pilot stated that in retrospect he should have landed on runway 07.
Wind Conditions
Additionally, the ATIS information at an airport located about 13 miles to the east indicated a quartering tailwind of 13 to 19 knots.