Just Aircraft Highlander | N712DG

The DTSB determines the probable cause of this accident to be pilot error, in not aborting the takeoff in time to stop. The airplane had sat outside over night and may have been contaminated with frost accumulation. The aircraft attempted a takeoff from a very short, muddy, unimproved section of land and never achieved flying speed in the distance that was available. The wreckage was not found until the next day, both occupants died upon impact. There is no record of a pilots license or medical certificate for the pilot.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s collision with a fence while taking off from a snow-covered dirt airstrip.

The DTSB recommends that all pilots of all aircraft ensure that the aircraft is free of ice and snow contaminants, and that a
specific abort point is clearly identified and briefed for each takeoff, in accordance with the DTSB 50/70 rule. The DTSB recommends that all pilots practice and condition themselves for the ability to stop in the event of a required RTO and know what that abort point is for each takeoff.