What happened
A certificated commercial pilot and six passengers were operating a scheduled commuter flight departing from a remote airstrip. At the time of the event, snow showers were occurring in the area. After loading the passengers, the pilot remained on the ground for approximately 40 minutes waiting for weather conditions to improve.
Prior to departure, the pilot cleared snow from the windshield and the leading edge of the wing. The takeoff was performed on a runway with a 2 percent uphill slope. The aircraft did not become airborne until the pilot applied full flaps. While the airplane lifted off, it was unable to climb out of ground effect. As the aircraft approached a small hill ahead, the pilot began retracting the flaps, at which point the airplane collided with rising terrain about 1/4 mile north of the departure end of the runway.
Findings
A witness who inspected the accident site after the collision observed snow on the upper surface of the wings.