Incident Details
The pilot of a wheel-equipped airplane was performing a low pass over a snow-covered off-airport landing site to evaluate the condition of the snow pack. During the pass, the main landing gear was dragged along the surface. However, the snow was deeper than anticipated, causing the airplane to pitch forward and nose over.
Aircraft Damage
As a result of the nose-over, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. No other damage was reported.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have prevented normal operation.