20250306001349A

The pilot was cleared to land on runway 23. Pilot states it was a bumpy descent with a crosswind from the right, and that he crabbed toward the runway as he descended, using aileron and rudder to correct for the crosswind. The pilot stated that fairly close to the ground, he felt a large gust from the right push him to the left and tried to correct further. As he neared touchdown, he felt a sudden loss of lift and the plane began to drop. The tower controller observed the aircraft drop and hit the runway much harder than a normal landing, bouncing back into the air, and then the upwind (right) wing rising before the aircraft departed the pavement, going off the side of the runway. After departing the runway, the plane went down a depression and across the taxiway where it came to rest. Pilot states he believes the unlevel ground between the runway and taxiway caused the empennage to separate from the aircraft. Winds as reported to the pilot by the tower at the time of the accident were 310@14G29.