Incident Details
During landing, the airplane touched down hard, causing the landing gear to collapse. Subsequently, the airplane skidded off the runway and struck a taxiway sign and runway lights before coming to a stop.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that during the landing, approximately 10 feet above the ground, glare from the setting sun resulted in the loss of all attitude references, including the runway, horizon, and instrument panel.
Background Information
U.S. Naval Observatory data revealed that at the time of the accident, the sun was 3.2 degrees below the horizon and 2.4 degrees to the right of the runway centerline.