Incident Summary
During landing, an aircraft collided with a snowbank and nosed over. The pilot reported that prior to arrival, he had contacted flight service to inquire about runway conditions. No information was provided, and no NOTAMs had been issued regarding the state of the runway.
Sequence of Events
Upon approaching the destination, the pilot attempted to contact UNICOM at Columbine. A person using the call sign Aurora responded. Believing that the Columbine UNICOM was out of service, the pilot overflew the field to assess wind and traffic. He then entered the traffic pattern and landed.
After touchdown, the pilot realized that the runway had been poorly plowed. Only a narrow path down the center of the runway had been cleared. The aircraft's left main landing gear touched down in the snow. As the aircraft rolled, snow accumulated and clogged the left wheel, causing the aircraft to swerve off the runway and nose over.
Communication Issues
The pilot's attempts to gather information about runway conditions were unsuccessful. Flight service did not report any issues, and no NOTAMs were in effect. The unanswered UNICOM call and the response from an unknown station (Aurora) added to the confusion, leading the pilot to proceed with the landing without full awareness of the runway state.