Airplane sustains left wing damage after striking ice on frozen lake (N8206V)

What happened

The pilot of the aircraft reported that he had landed on the surface of a frozen lake and was in the process of taxiing toward the shore. As the airplane approached the shoreline, the left tire encountered an area where grass was protruding through the ice. When the tire rolled over this vegetation, it broke through the ice layer. This breach caused the left wing to strike the ice, resulting in substantial damage to that part of the airframe.

The investigation

The pilot provided a detailed account of the sequence of events leading to the damage. He noted that the incident occurred while he was taxiing toward the shore after landing on the frozen surface. The critical moment happened when the left tire passed over grass that had grown through the ice near the shoreline.

Findings

The primary factor in this incident was the structural failure of the ice near the shoreline. The presence of grass protruding through the ice created a weak point that the tire could not support. This led to the tire breaking through the ice and the subsequent impact of the left wing against the frozen surface.