What happened
The pilot received an advisory from the control tower indicating that the runway was covered with two inches of wet snow. He then proceeded to initiate a takeoff. The pilot said the airplane was not accelerating and aborted the takeoff. He said he did not use brakes to avoid skidding and the airplane ran off the departure end of the runway, and into an ditch.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the performance of the aircraft during the aborted takeoff roll. The pilot reported that the airplane failed to accelerate as expected on the contaminated surface. In response to the lack of acceleration, the pilot decided to abort the takeoff. He stated that he intentionally avoided using the brakes to prevent the aircraft from skidding. Despite this action, the aircraft continued forward and exited the paved surface at the departure end of the runway.
Findings
The primary factor in this incident was the wet snow on the runway, which significantly reduced tire traction and acceleration capability. The pilot's decision to forgo braking to avoid skidding contributed to the inability to stop within the remaining runway length. The aircraft ultimately ran off the end of the runway and into a ditch.