Cargo plane crashes killing three crew

A cargo plane in Shanghai crashed after coming off the runway on Saturday afternoon. It is not quite clear what caused the plane to deter from the runway but aviation officials have said they have recovered the flight data recorder and will now try and piece together the moments leading up the incident.

The cargo plane was heading from China to Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan part of the former USSR when the incident occurred. There were seven members of crew on board the plane and three have unfortunately died inn the accident. They are believed to be US citizens which the US embassy has confirmed. Out of the four survivors three remain in a critical condition, but apparently the captain of the plane has been seen on national TV praising the quick actions of the ground in helping them.

The remaining crew members are said to be from Belgium, Indonesia and Zimbabwe, which is where the operators of the aircraft, Aviant Aviation, are based. Nobody from the company was available for comment on the accident but a statement said their thoughts are with the family and friends of those involved in the disaster.

The year 2009 has not been a great one in aviation history as there have been a number of fatal accidents. In the space of just one month hundreds were killed on two Airbus crashes that had connections with France. An Air France jet crashed after leaving Rio de Janeiro with no survivors and less than a month later a Yemenia Airlines plane crashed into the Indian Ocean, miraculously one young girl survived.