What happened
The certificated commercial pilot had just completed an uneventful glacier landing when he decided to reposition the airplane to a location better suited for unloading his passengers. As he taxied the aircraft up the glacier, the tailwheel entered a hole in the hard-packed snow. This caused the left elevator horn to dig into the snow, resulting in substantial damage to the left elevator. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the circumstances surrounding the taxiing incident and the resulting damage to the aircraft's control surfaces. The pilot's account indicated that the damage was caused by the interaction between the tailwheel and a depression in the snow surface, rather than any inherent flaw in the aircraft's systems.
Findings
The primary factor contributing to this incident was the terrain condition of the glacier. The presence of a hole in the hard-packed snow led to the tailwheel sinking, which in turn caused the left elevator horn to contact the ground. This sequence of events resulted in substantial damage to the left elevator. The pilot confirmed that the aircraft was mechanically sound prior to the taxiing maneuver.