Accident Details
A pilot reported that he had recently purchased the airplane and was practicing full stall landings in the tail wheel equipped airplane. During his sixth landing of the day, he decided to try a wheel landing.
The pilot stated that as the airplane touched down, it acted "kind of squirrelly" and pulled to the left towards the runway edge lights. He attempted to abort the landing by applying full throttle; however, the airplane exited the runway edge and the left main landing gear struck sage brush. The airplane subsequently ground looped, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage.
Pilot Observations
Examination of the runway revealed a long curved skid mark from the left main landing gear. The pilot commented that the skid mark appeared "as if I [the pilot] may have been touching the brake." The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions with the airplane's flight control and brake systems.