What happened
During the landing phase at Key West International Airport, the aircraft exited the side of the runway. The pilot reported that the flight was cleared to land on runway 09 under conditions involving wind from the north at 10 or more knots with gusty conditions. As the main landing gear made contact with the runway, the nose of the aircraft lifted unexpectedly and moved to the left. This caused the aircraft to veer sharply to the left and off the side of the runway.
After the aircraft moved off the paved surface, the nose landing gear collapsed upon contacting a gravel area adjacent to the runway. The pilot noted that the wind was gusty during the approach.
Findings
A surface weather observation taken at Key West International Airport at 1131, approximately 11 minutes after the accident, indicated winds from 350 degrees at 15 knots with no reported gusts. The pilot acknowledged that better wind corrections should have been applied to keep the aircraft pointed straight down the runway.