Incident Details
A pilot reported that while approaching the runway with 20 degrees of flaps, the wind was from 50 degrees right at 9 knots, gusting to 17 knots. The pilot maintained a crab into the wind until about 50 feet above the runway, then aligned the aircraft using left rudder and right aileron.
Pilot's Account
Shortly after straightening the aircraft, the pilot felt a gust of wind under the right wing and made corrections to keep the wings level. The right main landing gear touched down first, followed by a collapse of the nose landing gear, which resulted in damage to the engine firewall.
Aircraft Damage
The nose landing gear collapse caused structural damage to the engine firewall area. The pilot stated that there were no preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have prevented normal operation.