About two years after a Penn State lacrosse player's family was killed in a plane crash in Bellefonte, investigators still haven't determined the cause of the crash, according to an aviation report.
Witnesses said they saw the airplane take a steep decline, then slightly recover before careening into its final nosedive, according to the report recently released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on its Web site.
The crash killed six, including former men's lacrosse team captain Michael Jacober's father, who piloted the plane.
Michael Jacober's mother, Karen, 49, and his brother Eric, 15, were also killed in the crash. According to the report, Jacober's father, Jeffrey, 51, died of blunt force trauma.
Jacober family friends -- Gregg Weingeroff, 49; his wife, Dawn Weingeroff, 42; and their son, Leland Weingeroff, 10 -- also died in the crash.
The crash occurred at about 2 p.m. on March 26, 2005, along Route 150 where the Centre County Correctional Facility stands.
The two families were traveling from Naples, Fla., to State College to see Michael Jacober's lacrosse game against Fairfield. They all planned on flying back home to Providence, R.I., after the game.
On the day of the crash, two weather advisories were issued warning pilots of "moderate rime" ice and "mixed icing" in clouds; however, all on-scene responders said there was no indication of icing on the plane.
The investigation ruled out engine problems and visual restrictions, such as precipitation.
There was also no evidence of fire during or after the accident, according to the report.
The engine trend monitor recorded that the plane had a "hot start" on two separate occasions in February 2005, but the report did not elaborate on what a "hot start" is or how it may have affected the plane.
Chip Jones, a University Park Airport attendant, said hot starts occur when raw fuel is pushed up the tail pipe and ignited outside the engine of the airplane.
He added that generally speaking, hot starts do not normally negatively affect the airplane or pose future issues. There was also no indication that drugs or carbon monoxide had any involvement in the crash, according to the report.
