NTSB unable to determine what caused fatal plane crash

The National Transportation Safety Board has closed the investigation into the October 2013 plane crash in Princeton that killed a man on his way to a hunting trip.

Kevin Covlin, 51, of Princeton, died when his plane crashed on takeoff from the airport in Princeton. No one saw the crash.

The NTSB’s official cause of the crash doesn’t really answer the obvious question, however:

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot’s loss of airplane control during takeoff.

Toxicology tests showed Covlin was exposed to carbon monoxide, but ruled that out as a cause of the crash, saying the amount would have only given him a slight headache.

The NTSB reported that since fire destroyed the plane and contents, it was unable to determine whether luggage and equipment had been improperly loaded, creating an unstable airplane.