The pilot reported that during the landing roll the airplane was struck by a gust of wind, which he described as "pretty strong." The airport manager reported to the Federal Aviation Administration inspector that the winds at the time of the accident were a direct crosswind at around 40 knots. The airplane departed the side of the runway into a grassy area. As the pilot was correcting back to the runway, the nose landing gear hit a depression and sheared off, and the propeller struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. In a phone conversation, the pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane before the accident.