What happened
The accident occurred when N23968 departed from Runway 27 at Seven Springs Airport. Shortly after liftoff, the aircraft impacted a line of trees. The pilot later informed the resort manager at Seven Springs that he was unable to achieve sufficient lift to become airborne initially. Once the aircraft did gain altitude, it failed to clear the tree line surrounding the departure path.
The investigation
A review of the aircraft's weight and balance documentation revealed that N23968 exceeded its maximum gross weight limit at the time of takeoff. Additionally, meteorological reports indicated that Runway 27 was covered in slush during the accident sequence, which likely degraded braking action and acceleration performance.
Findings
The combination of an overloaded aircraft and adverse runway surface conditions contributed to the inability to climb out of the ground effect or clear obstacles. fuel exhaustion was not cited; rather, the primary mechanical factor was the excessive weight relative to available lift and runway distance.