A plane has crashed in Malta, killing all five people on board in the country's worst peacetime air disaster.

Maltese officials said French customs officials were among victims on the flight, which was heading for the city of Misrata in Libya.

They were tracking people smuggling across the Mediterranean, where Libya’s northern coast has become the main launching point for migrant boats.

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The light aircraft went down during take-off from Malta International Airport at around 7.20am local time (6.20am BST) on Monday morning.

A witness told the Times of Malta newspaper the propeller plane suddenly tipped to its right side and “went straight down to the ground”.

Footage taken from another plane on the tarmac showed the wreckage burning in a field, sending a large plume of black smoke into the air as passengers could be heard crying.

Edward Degaetano, an actor, was on a flight waiting to take off for London when he witnessed the aftermath of the crash.

“We were about to take off, moments before we did from our windows we could see a massive explosion – at first we had no idea what caused it,” he said.

“We quickly realised an aircraft had crash landed. That is when everyone got a bit anxious.”

Mr Degaetano said everything seemed “very normal” before the disaster, adding: “There was a second explosion and I thought ‘oh my god this is not just a fire’. We are all a bit stunned.”

Another video taken from a car showed the aircraft plummeting at an angle from low altitude, missing nearby houses and roads before exploding into a huge fireball on impact.

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“We can confirm that the five crew on board the aircraft are deceased,” a spokesperson for Malta International Airport said. “Our thoughts are with families of people involved in this accident.

“An investigation is currently ongoing and we are working with all the authorities to provide them with any assistance necessary.”

They said the incident as an “accident upon take-off”.

Local reports initially said the twin-propeller Fairchild Metroliner was carrying officials from the EU border agency Frontex, but a spokesperson later said no staff were on board.

Federica Mogherini, the EU Commission Vice President and high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, also said no other EU officials were involved, adding: “The flight was not related to any of EU activities.”

The Maltese government said the plane was leased to a Luxembourg company and that witnesses reported no explosion before it hit the ground.

Shape Created with Sketch. In Pictures: Malta Plane Crash Show all 12 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. In Pictures: Malta Plane Crash 1/12 The scene after a plane crashes in Malta Sky News 2/12 Flames and smoke from the scene of a plane crash in Malta Sky News 3/12 video grab taken with permission from the Twitter feed of Ed De Gaetano/@eddydeg of a plane which crashed on take-off from Malta International Airport, killing all five people on board Ed De Gaetano/@eddydeg/Twitter/PA Wire 4/12 Rescue services at the scene of a light aircraft crash at the airport in Valletta, Malta Reuters 5/12 Members of Malta's Armed Forces check the runway after a small passenger aircraft crashed on takeoff at Malta's international airport Getty 6/12 Officers work in the area where a light plane crashed after takeoff from Malta airport AP 7/12 Firefighters work in the area where a light plane crashed after takeoff from Malta airport AP 8/12 Forensics work on the site of a small plane crash at Malta International Airport Getty 9/12 Monitors report departures delays as a light plane crashed after takeoff from Malta airport AP 10/12 Planes are parked at Malta airport, in Valletta. AP 11/12 Investigators and rescue services at the scene of a plane crash at the airport in Valletta, Malta Reuters 12/12 Investigators and rescue services at the scene of a plane crash at the airport in Valletta, Malta Reuters 1/12 The scene after a plane crashes in Malta Sky News 2/12 Flames and smoke from the scene of a plane crash in Malta Sky News 3/12 video grab taken with permission from the Twitter feed of Ed De Gaetano/@eddydeg of a plane which crashed on take-off from Malta International Airport, killing all five people on board Ed De Gaetano/@eddydeg/Twitter/PA Wire 4/12 Rescue services at the scene of a light aircraft crash at the airport in Valletta, Malta Reuters 5/12 Members of Malta's Armed Forces check the runway after a small passenger aircraft crashed on takeoff at Malta's international airport Getty 6/12 Officers work in the area where a light plane crashed after takeoff from Malta airport AP 7/12 Firefighters work in the area where a light plane crashed after takeoff from Malta airport AP 8/12 Forensics work on the site of a small plane crash at Malta International Airport Getty 9/12 Monitors report departures delays as a light plane crashed after takeoff from Malta airport AP 10/12 Planes are parked at Malta airport, in Valletta. AP 11/12 Investigators and rescue services at the scene of a plane crash at the airport in Valletta, Malta Reuters 12/12 Investigators and rescue services at the scene of a plane crash at the airport in Valletta, Malta Reuters

Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French defence minister, said the plane was a reconnaissance aircraft planned to fly over the Mediterranean.

Three officials from his ministry and two private contractors, all French, were on board.

The US-registered plane, number N577MX, last underwent an airworthiness inspection in 2011, according to records held by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

An inquiry into the cause of the disaster will be opened by Malta's Bureau of Air Accident Investigation.

All departures and arrivals at Malta International Airport were stopped as recovery work continued, with flights diverted to airports on the Italian island of Sicily.

The airport was reopened shortly after 11am local time but delays and disruption were expected to continue. Live information can be found here.

Additional reporting by agencies</s>Twin-prop Fairchild Metroliner that crashed after takeoff was part of French customs surveillance operation heading for Libyan coast

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A small plane heading towards Libya’s coast to monitor migrant trafficking routes for the French government has crashed soon after taking off from Malta’s main airport, killing all five people on board.

The twin-prop Fairchild Metroliner banked right and hit the ground, causing a huge fireball, at about 7.20am local time (0520 GMT), video captured by a dashboard camera showed.

Malta’s government said all five victims were French and that the flight was part of a French customs surveillance operation tracing routes of illicit trafficking, of humans and drugs, leaving Libya’s lawless coasts.

Libya is the main point of departure for tens of thousands of migrants who have been paying smugglers to bring them toward Europe by boat.

Early media reports said the plane had been chartered by the European Union’s border control agency, Frontex.

Malta’s international airport is used for surveillance flights to Libya due to its proximity. The government said the French customs operation had been active for about five months.

The airport was closed for four hours while debris was cleared, delaying more than a dozen flights, according to a notice on the airport website.

The Metroliner was registered in the US and leased to a Luxembourg company, the government statement added.</s>A light aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Luqa airport in Malta, killing at least five people

A small plane which crashed in a fireball at Malta International Airport soon after take-off, killing all five crew members aboard, had been heading to Libya to monitor migrant trafficking routes for the French government.

The twin-prop Fairchild Metroliner exploded in a huge ball of flame and smoke shortly after take-off on Monday morning.

A statement from the Maltese government said all five victims were French.

It added that the flight was part of a French customs surveillance operation tracing routes of illicit trafficking, including drugs and people-smuggling.

Part of the burning wreckage ended up on a road outside the perimeter of the airport.

The plane was on its way to Misrata on the Libyan coast.

Malta International Airport has been temporarily closed until the debris is cleared, with over a dozen flights delayed or cancelled, according to a notice on the airport website.</s>A small plane which crashed in a fireball at Malta International Airport soon after take-off, killing all five crew members aboard, had been heading to Libya to monitor migrant trafficking routes for the French government.

The twin-prop Fairchild Metroliner exploded in a huge ball of flame and smoke shortly after take-off on Monday morning.

A statement from the Maltese government said all five victims were French.

It added that the flight was part of a French customs surveillance operation tracing routes of illicit trafficking, including drugs and people-smuggling.

Part of the burning wreckage ended up on a road outside the perimeter of the airport.

The plane was on its way to Misrata on the Libyan coast.

Malta International Airport has been temporarily closed until the debris is cleared, with over a dozen flights delayed or cancelled, according to a notice on the airport website.

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DOWNLOAD THE SCOTSMAN APP ON ITUNES OR GOOGLE PLAY</s>VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — Officials say a light plane has crashed after takeoff from Malta International Airport, killing all five people on board.

The twin-prop Metroliner tipped toward the right and crashed into the ground soon after lifting off at 7:20 a.m. Monday, bursting into flames, eyewitnesses said.

Part of the burning wreckage ended up on a road outside the perimeter of the airport.

The airplane was on its way to Misrata, Libya.

Malta International Airport is temporarily closed until the debris is cleared.

This story has been corrected to give the spelling of the plane’s destination as Misrata.</s>Three French defence ministry staff and two others were killed when a plane heading towards Libya to monitor migrant trafficking routes crashed shortly after take-off at Malta’s main airport.

The US-registered light aircraft, on lease to a company in Luxembourg, was seen banking sharply before plummeting to the ground and exploding in a huge fireball at around 7:20am local time.

Malta’s government said the five men were part of a French customs surveillance operation tracing routes of human and drug trafficking.

The plane, a twin-propeller Fairchild Metroliner Mark III, had been heading for Misrata in north-west Libya.

A government spokesman said witnesses had confirmed there was no explosion prior to impact. Actor Edward De Gaetano was returning to London when he witnessed the aftermath of the crash.

He said: “We were about to take off; moments before we did from our windows we could see a massive explosion – at first we had no idea what caused it.”

He added: “Then there was a second explosion and I thought ‘Oh my God, this is not just a fire’. We are all a bit stunned.”

Mr De Gaetano said it was “definitely not a military plane” which had crashed – with flames from the explosion “engulfing” a nearby tree.

Before the crash he said everything seemed “very, very normal”.

Video shot by Mr De Gaetano shows flames and thick black smoke billowing from the crash site next to the runway.

Another eyewitness quoted by the Times of Malta said: “I heard the scream of a plane, and then saw it come crashing down. It burst into flames immediately.

“Very little of the plane was left, just some debris.”

The Maltese government confirmed that all of the victims’ remains have been recovered.

French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian confirmed that three of the victims were ministry staff while the other two were contractors working for the company who leased the crashed aircraft.

The French Customs department quashed earlier reports that the victims were French customs officials, tweet that none were aboard the downed plane.

Early reports that the victims had been officials from the EU’s border agency were also quickly denied. Frontex said none of its staff had been involved.

The airport was closed for four hours while debris was cleared, causing dozens of flights to be delayed and cancelled and officials warned it would take “some time” for the schedule to return to normal.

A spokesman for the airport at Luqa said: “We can confirm that the five crew on board the aircraft are deceased. Our thoughts are with families of people involved in this accident.

“An investigation is currently ongoing and we are working with all the authorities to provide them with any assistance necessary.”

Libya is the main point of departure for the tens of thousands of migrants who have been paying smugglers to bring them toward Europe by boat.

Malta’s International Airport is used for surveillance flights to Libya due to its proximity. The Maltese government said the flight had been due to return to the island within hours without landing in third countries.

The government added that the French surveillance operation has been active for about five months, tasked with tracing illicit trafficking routes “of all sorts, including human and drug trafficking.”

The Metroliner was registered in the US and leased to a Luxembourg company, CAE Aviation group.

In a statement, CAE Aviation said that the aircraft had no history of technical issues.</s>FIVE customs officials were killed when a plane nosedived to the ground and crashed in a ball of flames yesterday.

Three French defence officials and two others died shortly after the surveillance plane took off from Malta International Airport.

The US-registered light aircraft, on lease to a firm in Luxembourg, was seen banking sharply before plummeting to the ground and exploding in a huge fireball at about 7.20am local time.

Malta’s government said the five men were part of a French customs surveillance operation tracing routes of human and drug 

 trafficking The twin-propeller Fairchild Metroliner Mark III plane had been heading for Misrata in north-west Libya.

A government spokesman said witnesses had confirmed there was no explosion prior to impact.

British actor Edward De Gaetano was returning to London when he witnessed the aftermath of the crash.

He said: “We were about to take off – moments before we did, we could see a massive explosion from our windows. At first we had no idea what caused it.”

He added: “Then there was a second explosion and I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is not just a fire’. We are all a bit stunned.”

The airport was closed for four hours while debris was cleared, causing dozens of flights to be delayed and cancelled. Officials warned it would take “some time” for the schedule to return to normal.

French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian confirmed three of the victims were ministry staff, while the other two were contractors.

A spokesman for the airport at Luqa said: “We can confirm that the five crew on board the aircraft are deceased. Our thoughts are with families of people involved in this accident. An investigation is ongoing and we are working with all the authorities to provide them with any assistance necessary.”

Meanwhile, a transatlantic flight has landed safely at Shannon Airport in Ireland after declaring an emergency.

The United Airlines service to the US was forced to make the unscheduled landing shortly after take-off from Belfast International Airport.

A Shannon Airport spokeswoman said flight UA-76 to Newark had declared an emergency but landed safely just before 2.30pm.

Passengers on the plane were told there was an issue with the Boeing 757’s landing gear.

There were concerns that the front wheels could not be locked to take the impact of a landing.

It is understood the pilots circled around the west coast of Ireland for about two hours burning off fuel before making their approach into Shannon.

The airport’s emergency crews including firefighters were on the runway for the landing.</s>It was headed for Misrata in Libya.

A light aircraft crashed shortly after take-off from Malta on Monday, killing at least five people on board in the island nation’s worst peacetime air accident, airport sources and witnesses said.

Airport officials initially said the plane was believed to be carrying officials from EU border agency Frontex. The organisation put out a statement saying it had not deployed the plane, but stopped short of saying whether its staff were on board.

It was bound for Misrta in Libya

The crash happened at about 0530 GMT as the plane was heading for Misrata in Libya, airport officials told Reuters.

Television footage showed flames rising from wreckage near the runway, sending thick black smoke into the sky.

All flights to and from the Malta International Airport were halted, The Times of Malta said on its website.

There was no immediate details on the identity or nationality of the victims.

The plane, a twin-prop Metroliner, can carry around 10 people.</s>Airport officials initially said the plane was believed to be carrying officials from EU border agency Frontex. The organization put out a statement saying it had not deployed the plane, but stopped short of saying whether its staff were on board.

The crash happened at about 0530 GMT as the plane was heading for Misrata in Libya, airport officials told Reuters.

Television footage showed flames rising from wreckage near the runway, sending thick black smoke into the sky.

All flights to and from Malta International Airport were halted, The Times of Malta said on its website.

There was no immediate details on the identity or nationality of the victims.

The plane, a twin-prop Metroliner, can carry around 10 people.</s>Five people have died after a plane crashed at Malta International Airport in a "massive explosion".

The Fairchild Metroliner, a twin-propellered aircraft, crashed on take-off at around 7.20am at the island's main airport in Luqa.

"We can confirm that the five crew on board the aircraft are deceased. Our thoughts are with families of people involved in this accident," Malta International Airport said in a statement.

"An investigation is currently ongoing and we are working with all the authorities to provide them with any assistance necessary."

The airport said its aerodrome had been closed in light of the accident and asked passengers to check its website for updates.

It is understood the plane tilted towards the right and crashed into the ground soon after lifting off, which is when it burst into flames.

Part of the burning wreckage ended up on a road outside the perimeter of the airport. The plane was on its way to Misrata in Libya.

Actor Edward De Gaetano was on his way home back to London when he witnessed the aftermath of the crash.

"We were about to take off; moments before we did from our windows we could see a massive explosion - at first we had no idea what caused it," he said.

"We quickly realised an aircraft carrier had crash-landed. That is when everyone got a bit anxious."

He added: "Then there was a second explosion and I thought 'Oh my God, this is not just a fire'. We are all a bit stunned."

Mr De Gaetano said it was "definitely not a military plane" which had crashed - with flames from the explosion "engulfing" a nearby tree.

Before the crash he said everything seemed "very, very normal".

"I just hope they find out what caused the crash and if there are any survivors they are OK," he told the Press Association.

Federica Mogherini, high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy and vice president of the EU Commission, tweeted, saying that no EU officials were involved in the crash.

"The flight was not related to any of the EU activities," she added.

The aerodrome was later reopened but Malta Airport warned it would "take some time" for the schedule to return to normal because of the volume of flights delayed and diverted.
A twin-prop Fairchild Metroliner Mark III light aircraft crashes shortly after takeoff from Malta International Airport, killing all five French nationals on board. Malta officials say that the aircraft was part of a French customs surveillance operation tracing routes of illicit trafficking, of humans and drugs on Libyan coasts, and that the flight was heading for the Libyan city of Misrata.