Esparto, CA, USA
N5641H
Piper PA-16
Same as Factual Information
The pilot stated that at the south end of his private airstrip was a tomato field with an irrigation ditch that rises about 8 to 10 inches above the flat ground, and that while trying to land to the north in "mildly gusty conditions" (8 to 10 miles per hour variable out of the west-northwest) he clipped a berm. The pilot revealed that the impact "snapped off" the left landing gear as the airplane continued onto the runway and settled on the left wing and firewall. The pilot stated that he should have landed a little longer. No mechanical failures or malfunctions were reported.
The pilot's misjudgment of altitude resulting in an undershoot. Factors included the berm and the wind gusts.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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