Incident Overview
According to the investigation source, the pilot of an aircraft was flying near Syracuse when, at an altitude of 2,000 feet, he decided he had sufficient fuel to continue to his home base at Cortland. The pilot then applied full power to climb back to 3,000 feet. During the climb, the aircraft encountered turbulence. Despite full power and an indicated airspeed of 80 knots, the aircraft was losing altitude. The aircraft subsequently collided with trees on a ridge line.
Weather Conditions
The Syracuse weather observation at 0250 reported thunderstorms west of Syracuse moving east. A special observation at 0307 indicated a visibility of 2 miles in heavy thundershowers.
Sequence of Events
The pilot's decision to continue to Cortland was made at 2,000 feet. After adding full power to climb, turbulence was encountered. The aircraft could not maintain altitude and struck trees on a ridge line. No further details about the aircraft type, registration, occupants, or injuries were provided in the source.
Investigation Findings
The source did not state a probable cause for the accident. The information is limited to the described events and weather observations.