One of my CompactFlash cards that I use for passing drivers between systems seemed to require an unusual amount of insertion force. I didn't think much of it and pressed it in, where I then heard a crunching sound. This was not good.

I noticed that the male pin on my adapter had bent slightly. It had caught the edge of the female connector inside the card, pressing against it until it broke. Surprisingly, I somehow broke two connectors. Maybe one of them had been broken previously and the card continued to work? I only noticed the one bent pin on my adapter, so this was unexpected.

I had a lot of work stored on this card, so I cracked it open to assess the damage. I found the two connectors that had sheered off and, luckily, the traces were still intact.

With care, I soldered the connectors back on with the help of a solder bridge. I was then able to retrieve all of my data. I've included some photos here for those who might be interested.

This is the first time I've ever damaged a CompactFlash card before. Has anyone else experienced a similar accident on insertion?