ZLIN PLT ENCOUNTERED DOWNDRAFT ON DEP THAT EXCEEDED THE PERFORMANCE CAPABILITY OF THE ACFT. PLT LANDED ADJACENT TO ARPT; COLLAPSING LNDG GEAR.

Narrative

I WAS DEPARTING RWY 26 AT ZZZ ARPT IN A ZLIN SAVAGE LIGHT SPORT CONVENTIONAL GEAR AIRPLANE. AWOS RPTED WINDS 240 DEGS AT 12 KTS GUSTING 18 KTS; TEMP 41 DEGS C FAVORING RWY 26. AFTER AN UNEVENTFUL TKOF ROLL; I CLBED TO APPROX 400 FT AGL AND INITIATED A L XWIND TURN FOR A L DOWNWIND DEP TO THE E. I HAD NOT RETRACTED THE FIRST FLAP SETTING; AND AT ABOUT 100 DEG FROM THE RWY HDG ENCOUNTERED A SEVERE DOWNDRAFT. I ADDED FULL PWR AND LEVELED THE WINGS. I REALIZED THAT MY HDG WOULD PUT ME IN UNFAVORABLE TERRAIN; AND INITIATED A GENTLE BANK BACK TOWARD THE DOWNWIND. THE ACFT SIMPLY WOULD NOT OUTPERFORM THE SINKING AIR AND I LEVELED THE WINGS AND MAINTAINED 45 MPH IAS (APPROX 1.0 VSO) AND FULL PWR TO AVOID A PERIMETER FENCE UNTIL JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT WITH LEVEL DIRT ADJACENT TO THE RWY. THE L MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST WITHIN 150 FT OF INITIAL IMPACT. I AM UNABLE TO RECOLLECT OR ESTIMATE MY DSCNT RATE AT THE TIME OF COLLISION WITH THE GND. I SECURED THE ACFT; EVACED; AND SUMMONED HELP AT THE FBO AND FIRE STATION. I WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE ACFT AND WAS UNINJURED IN THE EVENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS ACFT IS IN THE 'EXPERIMENTAL LIGHT SPORT' CATEGORY AND THIS CATEGORY DOES NOT REQUIRE PUBLISHED ACFT PERFORMANCE DATA. PLT DOES ALSO STATE THAT THE ACFT WAS CLIMBING NORMALLY UNTIL THE DOWNDRAFT ENCOUNTER.