( CNN ) -- The video shows the beginning of what was hoped would be a perfect plane ride , with the pilot of a 1940s-era Stinson and his three passengers smiling as the plane rumbles down a dirt runway in rural Idaho . But soon after take-off , the plane went down in a nearby forest , with the camera still rolling . Everyone on the plane survived to tell -- and show -- their harrowing tale . The four-seater had just taken off from an airport in Stanley , Idaho , June 30 . The video , which was shot through the cockpit window , shows the runway disappearing beneath the plane and the sun glinting off the glass as the aircraft gained altitude to clear some nearby trees . The plane only ascended to about 60 or 70 feet , then dipped , hit the trees , and tumbled from the air . In a telephone interview with the National Transportation Safety Board , which is investigating the incident , one of the passengers said the plane started losing altitude and experienced a downdraft right before it clipped the trees . According to The Idaho Statesman , the passengers -- who were on their way to a hiking trip -- remembered hearing the `` thud of treetops '' as the plane made its unexpected and scary descent . Tol Gropp , whose father , Les Gropp , was piloting , remembers losing consciousness when the plane hit the trees . The next thing he remembers is hanging upside down , according to The Statesman . The NTSB reported Les Gropp sustained serious injuries in the accident and his son told the newspaper he had a broken jaw , but has otherwise recovered . The Gropps are a religious family and credit their faith with helping them escape death . `` We are a pretty religious family and so are my friends . Some people will mark this off as my imagination ... but we feel strongly that due to those blessings that help arrived so quickly in such mass numbers , '' Tol Gropp told The Idaho Statesman 's Rachel Roberts . The NTSB has taken the plane to a secured storage facility for further examination .
The aircraft only rose about 100 feet before it struck some trees . The entire incident was captured on a video camera . The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident .