What happened
A private certificated pilot was performing a landing on a remote, north/south oriented airstrip measuring approximately 1,200 feet in length and 50 feet in width. The surface of the runway was covered with roughly six inches of snow. During the landing roll of the tailwheel-equipped airplane, the left main landing gear tire entered a rut that was filled with snow.
This caused the aircraft to ground loop to the left, resulting in the plane departing the left side of the airstrip and entering an area of brush. The impact caused the right main landing gear to collapse. The aircraft sustained damage to the propeller, the left wingtip, and the right wingtip. There were no injuries reported.
Findings
The investigation determined that the excursion was triggered when the left main gear encountered a snow-filled rut during the landing roll.