What happened
During the landing roll on a 150-foot wide runway covered with patchy snow, a twin-engine airplane began drifting toward the right side of the runway. In an attempt to execute a go-around, the pilot applied power; however, the right engine did not respond as anticipated.
The pilot lifted the tail wheel off the runway, but by the time the aircraft reached this position, it had already exited the right edge of the runway at an approximate 45-degree angle. As the aircraft moved off the pavement, snow began blowing over the nose of the plane, and the engines experienced hesitation.
The airplane's tracks ran parallel to the runway edge for approximately 400 feet before the aircraft nosed down and skidded an additional 25 feet into snow that was between 8 and 12 inches deep.
The investigation
Upon examination of the aircraft, investigators found packed snow inside the air intakes of both engines.