GRAND FORKS (AP) - A report from the National Transportation Safety Board indicates the weather was a factor in a 2006 plane crash in northwestern Minnesota that killed two University of North Dakota students.

The NTSB report said 18-year-old pilot Jacob Rueth and 19-year-old passenger Jacob Sundblad took off in snowy weather from Crookston, Minn., on the night of Dec. 1, 2006, in a single-engine Cessna. The report said that by the time the plane got in the air, visibility was reduced to about one mile and the wind had picked up.

The report said the pilot was operating in "instrument meteorological conditions," meaning he had to rely on instruments for his position. It said Rueth's logbook showed he had no flight experience in actual instrument conditions, though he had worked with a simulator.

The report found no mechanical problems and said the students tested negative for drugs and alcohol. A final report on the official cause of the crash is expected later.

Authorities said the plane crashed in a field near the Crookston airport minutes after takeoff. The flight was not sanctioned by UND; a friend said Rueth wanted to practice takeoffs and landings.

Rueth was from Orland Park, Ill., and Sundblad was from Annandale, Minn.