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The pilot of a PA-12 supercruiser equipped with tundra tires attempted to test the suitability of the surface of a snow covered landing site by 'dragging' the tires through the snow on a low pass during which the tires broke through the icy surface and were sucked down into deep snow below. The subsequent damage was restricted to the propeller; the engine; the engine cowling and the right wing strut and described as easily repairable by the reporter.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1157002 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201303 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Light | Dawn |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Piper Aircraft Corp Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Landing |
| Route In Use | Visual Approach |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Single Pilot Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 125 Flight Crew Total 6100 Flight Crew Type 30 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown Ground Event / Encounter Ground Strike - Aircraft Inflight Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control |
Narrative:
While evaluating a landing site for tundra tire equipped airplanes; the aircraft was sucked into 12-16 inches of soft powder snow after breaking through a 2.5 inch thick layer of compact snow/ice.it is common practice to evaluate landing sites by 'dragging' the tires through the upper surface; performing a go-around; and then inspecting the tire tracks to evaluate the safety of the landing site. After doing an initial pass along side of fresh snowmobile tracks; it was determined to be safe for an initial drag of the main tires through the snow. This pass consisted of 2 touchdowns. The first touchdown was normal but the second one resulted in the aircraft breaking through the upper snow/ice crust. Full aft stick and engine power were applied; but the aircraft continued to get sucked down and began to tip forward. Power was then reduced to idle in the hopes of preventing a torque roll as the propeller hit the ground. The aircraft tipped up on its nose and came to rest at approximately 120 degrees [nose down] from the horizontal attitude. There was damage to the propeller; engine and cowling in addition to the right wing strut. No one was injured and the aircraft has been determined to be easily repairable with an engine teardown/rebuild; propeller replacement; cowling work and right strut replacement.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: The pilot of a PA-12 Supercruiser equipped with tundra tires attempted to test the suitability of the surface of a snow covered landing site by 'dragging' the tires through the snow on a low pass during which the tires broke through the icy surface and were sucked down into deep snow below. The subsequent damage was restricted to the propeller; the engine; the engine cowling and the right wing strut and described as easily repairable by the reporter.
Narrative: While evaluating a landing site for tundra tire equipped airplanes; the aircraft was sucked into 12-16 inches of soft powder snow after breaking through a 2.5 inch thick layer of compact snow/ice.It is common practice to evaluate landing sites by 'dragging' the tires through the upper surface; performing a go-around; and then inspecting the tire tracks to evaluate the safety of the landing site. After doing an initial pass along side of fresh snowmobile tracks; it was determined to be safe for an initial drag of the main tires through the snow. This pass consisted of 2 touchdowns. The first touchdown was normal but the second one resulted in the aircraft breaking through the upper snow/ice crust. Full aft stick and engine power were applied; but the aircraft continued to get sucked down and began to tip forward. Power was then reduced to idle in the hopes of preventing a torque roll as the propeller hit the ground. The aircraft tipped up on its nose and came to rest at approximately 120 degrees [nose down] from the horizontal attitude. There was damage to the propeller; engine and cowling in addition to the right wing strut. No one was injured and the aircraft has been determined to be easily repairable with an engine teardown/rebuild; propeller replacement; cowling work and right strut replacement.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.