The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped Piper PA-22 reported that, after conducting two touch-and-go landings at a nearby airport, he decided to land at a different airport to speak with a friend.
He added that everything seemed normal during the touchdown on the snow-covered runway in Big Lake, Alaska, but that the airplane then “abruptly stopped and nosed over.”
The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the rudder.
The pilot reported that the inside of the left main landing gear and brake was “packed with ice” and had frozen, which prevented the wheel from rotating during the landing roll.
Probable cause: The contamination of snow and ice on the left main landing gear and brake, which prevented the wheel from rolling during touchdown and resulted in a nose over.
NTSB Identification: GAA17CA159
This February 2017 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
The article didn’t state as such, but I wonder if the PA-22 had wheel pants on. In the winter I used to remove and store the wheel pants on our flight school fixed gear Cessnas, and never had this snow and ice issue.