Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a tree during the takeoff initial climb.
NTSB analysis
The pilot said that he was departing from a private, soft, dirt airstrip. He asked the airstrip's owner for his departure recommendation, which was to stay on the left side of the 12-foot-wide airstrip. Immediately after liftoff, the left wing tip struck a tree branch, and the airplane rotated 90 degrees as it fell to the ground. The outboard 3 feet of the left wing was crushed by the impact and the fuselage, firewall, and rudder were wrinkled and/or bent.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for LAX08CA291 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Sep 6, 2008
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Harper, Oregon
- Nearest airport
- Butler Ranch (NONE)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Taylorcraft F19
- N-number
- N208AP
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.