Pilot Killed as Lancair 235 Cartwheels Off Oregon Runway

A 49-year-old pilot was killed when his experimental Lancair 235 was destroyed in a crash and post-impact fire shortly after takeoff from Twin Oaks Airpark near Hillsboro, Oregon, on June 12, 2026. The aircraft, registered N10CF, was being flown as a solo personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Local media identified the pilot as Keith Urwin of Warren, Oregon.

Multiple pilot-rated witnesses observed unusual events during the takeoff roll on Runway 02. The nosewheel lifted off and settled back down more than once, accompanied by fluctuations in engine power and sounds described as heavy or locked-up braking. A witness near the departure end saw the aircraft leave the runway at low altitude, pitch up, then roll left — the left wing struck the ground and the plane cartwheeled before catching fire. The NTSB's preliminary report notes two sets of tire skid marks on the runway, a 66-inch gouge at the runway end containing composite rudder fragments, and wreckage located approximately 350 feet north of the runway threshold.

The impact ignited a grass fire that local firefighters contained; no ground injuries were reported. The NTSB has not yet determined a probable cause and the investigation is ongoing. The Lancair 235 is a high-performance, amateur-built experimental aircraft; investigators have not identified any specific causal factors at this stage of the inquiry.