Accident Overview
A private pilot reported an accident during a landing at a private airstrip near a cabin. The pilot stated that he flew over the airstrip beforehand to assess its suitability for his wheel-equipped airplane. From the air, he observed what he believed to be the gravel surface of the runway showing through patchy snow, along with ruts in the snow that appeared to have been made by previous landing aircraft.
Landing and Nose-Over
During the subsequent landing roll, the airplane's wheels sank into deep snow, and the aircraft nosed over. The pilot noted that after the accident, he discovered that black cinders had been spread on the runway to expedite the melting of the snow. He realized that the dark patches he had seen from the air were the cinders, not the gravel runway surface.
Contributing Factors
No contributing factors were identified in the source. The pilot's misidentification of the runway surface condition led to the accident.