What happened
During the landing roll on a dry, asphalt runway, a tailwheel equipped airplane experienced a sudden deflation of the right tire. This loss of pressure caused the aircraft to veer toward the right, resulting in the right wing tip making contact with the runway surface.
As the aircraft began to ground loop, the pilot applied the brakes in an attempt to maintain control. The momentum and direction of the loop caused the airplane to nose down, eventually coming to a rest in a near-vertical attitude. There were no injuries reported.
The investigation
An inspection of the aircraft's landing gear revealed that the valve stem on the right main tire tube had broken. The aircraft was fitted with 24-inch tundra tires, which utilize a large wheel rim adapter attached to the standard wheel rim.
Examination of the hardware showed scuffing on the outboard half of the wheel adapter rim. However, the main wheel half itself showed no signs of damage.