Investigators still looking for reasons behind plane crash

John Hammerschmidt, head of the National Transportation Safety Board investigation team, said Monday that traffic controllers didn't get altitude data for the Beech King Air 200's last moments of flight, perhaps indicating its transponder wasn't working.

That could point to problems with the plane's electrical system, NTSB investigator Robert Benzon said.

"Maybe the transponder broke or the electrical system that powered the transponder was not functioning properly, or something we haven't figured out yet," Benzon said, adding that it was too early to know if the faulty transponder played a role.

After two days of scouring the crash site, investigators still haven't discovered any piece of conclusive evidence explaining why the plane went down Saturday, killing all 10 aboard.

According to Hammerschmidt, there was no indication that the engines failed during flight. Air traffic controllers from Jefferson County Airport, where the flight originated, told the NTSB they saw no sign of ice or anything out of the ordinary as the plane passed before them.

"There was absolutely nothing unusual until the very end of the flight," Hammerschmidt said.

There were two Oklahoma State basketball players and six staffers aboard when the plane crashed and burst into flames in a field 40 miles east of Denver.

Among the victims were Oklahoma State players Nate Fleming and Daniel Lawson, sports information employee Will Hancock, director of basketball operations Pat Noyes and their trainer Brian Luinstra.

Also killed was student manager Jared Weiberg, broadcast engineer Kendall Durfey, broadcaster Bill Teegins, pilot Denver Mills and co-pilot Bjorn Fahlstrom.

One possible cause of the crash was weather -- the plane took off in light snow and with a visibility of one mile, while an icing advisory warned of a light to moderate threat.

The plane wasn't de-iced before taking off, but Benzon said there wouldn't have been much reason to do so because the plane went from a warm hangar straight to the runway and took off quickly.

"It's up to the pilot and in this particular case he'd just be wasting the fluid. It would cause more problems than it would be worth," Benzon said.

Two planes carrying the rest of the team and staff took off within an hour. Neither reported conditions dangerous for flying or major ice buildup.

On Monday, investigators took aerial photographs, interviewed pilots who flew in the area around the time of the crash and even took fuel samples from the tanks that fueled the plane.

They also moved the engines to a nearby facility and planned to dismantle them in search of clues.

Benzon said the plane hit the ground at a shallow angle and some pieces broke off before impact.

The pieces could have come off if the pilots tried to pull up abruptly or the plane was flying in an unusual position, such as upside down, said Jim Burnett, who served as NTSB chairman from 1982 to 1988.

Investigators still haven't located the plane's owner or determined if it was a charter or private plane. Maintenance records are in Oklahoma, and investigators planned to check them Tuesday.

Ownership of the airplane has changed several times in its 25-year history. The plane was registered to North Bay Charter of Reno, Nev. The company declined to comment on Monday.