What happened
The flight began with the aircraft operating in precipitation consisting of both rain and snow. After completing a landing on an unpaved gravel runway, the pilot remained on the ground for approximately five minutes. During this interval, the ambient conditions caused moisture to freeze on the exterior surfaces of the airplane.
Recognizing the accumulation of ice, the pilot manually wiped the frozen material from the airframe before commencing the departure procedure. Upon initiating the takeoff roll and achieving lift-off, the aircraft exhibited a severely degraded climb gradient, rising only about two feet above ground level. The pilot immediately aborted the takeoff. During this aborted maneuver, the right main landing gear struck a log located on the runway surface.
The investigation
The examination focused on the sequence of events following the landing and the subsequent departure attempt. Key findings included the presence of freezing precipitation during the ground stop, which led to ice accumulation on the aircraft's surfaces. The pilot's action to remove this ice prior to takeoff was noted. The physical damage sustained by the right main gear was attributed to contact with a foreign object (a log) during the aborted takeoff roll.