Incident Summary
During a landing in gusting crosswind conditions, the airplane touched down on the left wheel first. The pilot reported that "all of a sudden it was like a huge gust of wind took the plane and just threw it to the right." The propeller struck the runway, and the airplane exited the runway to the right, coming to rest inverted. The accident resulted in substantial damage to the left wing.
Pilot Statement
The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Weather Conditions
A review of data from the automated weather observation station located on the airport indicated that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 190° at 9 knots, gusting to 17 knots. The airplane was landing on runway 26.
Aircraft Information
The pilot's operating handbook includes a section titled "Crosswind Landing," which states that the maximum allowable crosswind velocity is dependent upon pilot capability rather than aircraft limitations. It further notes that with average pilot technique, direct crosswinds of 15 knots can be handled with safety.