On April 4, 1997, about 1744 eastern standard time, a North American T6G, N44FL, registered to a private individual, crashed during landing at New Hanover Airport, Wilmington, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The personal flight was conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The flight originated from Cape May, New Jersey, about 2 hours 44 minutes before the accident. The pilot stated he was landing with a crosswind. The airplane touched down twice and veered to the right. The pilot applied full left rudder and right aileron. The airplane continued to the right. The airplane departed the runway, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing tip collided with the ground. Examination of the landing gear revealed the left main gear sheared about 6 inches from the base of the oleo strut. The oleo strut had been subjected to a high shear load from the left side. The right main landing gear exhibited similar side loading, and the right main landing gear support fork from the axle to the oleo strut was bent about 30 degrees. Disassembly of the brake assemblies revealed no abnormal conditions. The pilot indicated in the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report that he has 13 total hours in the T6G airplane.