What happened
The aircraft sustained substantial damage after executing a hard landing at a private grass airstrip. According to the pilot's account, strong downdrafts and windshear were encountered during the final approach and landing phase. Despite attempts to recover from the excessive descent rate, the pilot was unable to arrest the sink rate before touchdown.
Upon impact with the runway surface, the main landing gear penetrated deeply into the sod. The structural integrity of the gear attachment failed, causing the entire main landing gear assembly to separate from the airframe. Following this separation, the airplane nosed over onto its fuselage.
Findings
Meteorological data collected from a weather station located 21 miles west of the accident site indicated windy conditions at the time of the incident. The wind was blowing from 030 degrees at 17 knots, with gusts reaching 22 knots. These conditions likely contributed to the windshear and downdrafts experienced by the pilot during the landing maneuver.