[Conservatrix]

The article says there was some previous sputtering before they took off and eventually crashed. What would have been the cause of that malfunction?

[leadpenny]

A failed engine would not have caused the airplane to stall. The pilot, most likely, caused that.

[Gunrunner2]

Just a guess, and knowing non-pilot types wouldn't know much about flying. . ."sputtering" could be a number of things, from bad gas to wrong mixture. Additionally, the pilot erred if he was aware of a potential engine problem and elected to fly anyway.

Right now we don't know enough to comment on the exact cause of the mishap. We will shortly, as NTSB mishap investigators are very good.

[Gunrunner2]

And, oh by the way. . .a loss of an engine doesn't mean it immediately goes into a dive and crashes. The aircraft is rather light and gliding is the thing to do when you lose an engine.