March 3, 2006, Burns, Ore. / Beech V35B Bonanza

At 1738 Pacific time, the airplane impacted terrain during an attempted takeoff. The Commercial pilot and his passenger were not injured but the aircraft sustained substantial damage. According to the pilot, he did not ensure that snow accumulating on the wings during taxi and run-up operations was fully removed prior to takeoff. During the takeoff, the aircraft did not lift off as it normally does, and the takeoff roll ended up being longer than usual. Once the pilot got the aircraft in the air, it was not climbing at an acceptable rate, so the pilot retracted the landing gear because he thought that action would help the aircraft to climb. Soon after the landing gear was retracted, the aircraft settled back onto the runway, hit a runway light, and then slid off the departure end of the runway onto a snow and ice covered field.