CLEVELAND -- How fast a Delta Airlines jet was going and where it touched down on the runway at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport will be key to determining the cause of a crash Sunday, Airport Commissioner Fred Szabo said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is examining the black box and the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating what caused the plane to skid off a runway and crash through a fence.

"Too early to tell speed and where he touched down. That will be important," Szabo said.

Whiteout conditions were so severe that workers in the tower could not see the plane touchdown, Szabo said.

Airport Commissioner On Crash Investigation | Passengers Get Scare During Landing

He said the decision to land is up to the pilot. A Continental plane that landed about 10 minutes before, said that conditions were "fair." Szabo said that is in the acceptable range. The snowstorm hit just after that time.

Officials believe snowy weather may have caused the Embraer 170 to crash near NASA Glenn just after 3 p.m. There were snow squalls in the area at the time of the crash. Visibility was at a quarter mile at the time of the landing.

Airport officials will also be working with Delta to get the official cause of the crash.

Passengers said they thought the plane was coming down too fast during the landing. When the plane went to turn at the end of the runway, it slid through the fence. One passenger took a picture with her cell phone as the plane sat on the fence.

"We were going very fast," one passenger said. "It was scary."

The plane went 150 feet past the runway. Both engines of the plane were damaged in the crash. The nose of the plane was either damaged or buried in snow, Pat Smith, an airport spokeswoman said.

The plane also took out part of the perimeter fence at the airport and damaged some antennas.

Szabo said all three runways were reopened Monday. However the third runway where the crash occurred was operating under visual flight rules only.

Some of the navigation equipment was destroyed when the plane went through the fence.

The commuter plane was taken to a hangar overnight, and crews are making repairs to the crash area.

There were 75 people on board Delta Flight 6448 from Atlanta. Three people were taken to Southwest General Hospital. They were treated and released.