Incident Details
While landing at an airstrip where terrain conditions dictated the use of only one runway, the pilot was landing with what he thought was a light tailwind. Just as he was about to start his landing flare from about 10 feet above the ground, the aircraft encountered a tailwind gust. The aircraft immediately started to drop toward the runway surface, and before the pilot could apply power to arrest the rate of descent, the aircraft impacted the runway surface with sufficient force to cause substantial damage.
Sequence of Events
The pilot initiated the landing approach, anticipating a light tailwind. As the aircraft descended to approximately 10 feet above the runway, the pilot prepared to flare. At that moment, a gust of tailwind increased the aircraft's groundspeed and reduced lift, causing an immediate and unexpected drop. Despite the pilot's attempt to add power, the aircraft struck the runway hard.
Damage
The impact resulted in substantial damage to the aircraft. No further details on the specific components affected were provided in the source.