Investigators unclear what caused plane crash that killed 3 bound for Green Bay

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Federal investigators are not sure what caused a 2018 plane crash in central Indiana that killed three men bound for Wisconsin.

The National Transportation Safety Board issued its final report on the crash last week. The Green Bay Press Gazette reports the NTSB blames “an in-flight-loss of control,” but investigators could not determine if mechanical or human factors caused the loss.

The February 2018 crash killed John Pagel, owner of Kewaunee, Wisconsin-based Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy; his son-in-law, Steven Witcpalek; and pilot Nathan Saari.

The NTSB says Saari told an air traffic controller the Cessna 441 Conquest Turboprop was “out of control” shortly after takeoff from Eagle Creek Airport in Indianapolis. It was bound for Green Bay.

The plane crashed in a field near Rossville, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis.

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