What happened
During the landing phase on runway 03, the pilot was operating a tail-wheel equipped airplane. Shortly after touchdown, while the aircraft was in its roll-out, the pilot manually unlocked the tail wheel. Following the release of the tail-wheel lock, the pilot lost directional control of the aircraft.
The resulting ground loop caused substantial damage to the right wing of the aircraft. At the time of the accident, a METAR observation at Great Falls reported winds from 070 degrees at 6 knots. The occupants were not injured.
The investigation
An investigation of the aircraft revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that contributed to the event.