The pilot reported that he was flying over a snow covered dry lake bed and decided to "drag" the left main landing gear to "better assess the surface condition." When the tire touched down, the pilot reported, "Drag rapidly increased and sucked the aircraft down." The pilot attempted to abort the landing by adding full power, but the airplane sunk further into the snow, turned to the right, and nosed over. The fuselage and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage.

The pilot reported there were no other mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.