23 MAR 2009 _______________________________________ *FedEx plane crashes, explodes at Tokyo's Narita *Cargo plane crash lands at Tokyo airport *Video Link *************************************** FedEx plane crashes, explodes at Tokyo's Narita TOKYO, March 23 (Reuters) - A Federal Express Corp cargo plane crashed and burst into flames as it landed at Narita international airport on Monday, closing one runway at the busy gateway to Tokyo. NHK public broadcaster showed video of the plane crashing and exploding and said there was no immediate news of the fate of the pilot and co-pilot on board. A Narita Airport spokesman said that one of the airport's two runways was closed but could not say if passenger flights would be affected. Narita is the main international airport for the Japanese capital and NHK said the plane crashed on the main, long runway. Japanese media said the plane was a FedEx cargo flight from Guangzhou, China and a FedEx logo was clearly visible on the upturned remains of the aircraft. NHK's video showed the plane land hard and tip onto its left wing and burst into flame. It ended upside down off to one side of the runway with firefighters spraying foam onto the broken remains of the plane with its wheel in the air. Kyodo news agency said that the plane was an MD-11, a freighter made by McDonnell Douglas, part of Boeing Co (BA.N). Fedex officials in Japan were not immediately available for comment. ************ Cargo plane crash lands at Tokyo airport A cargo plane has crash landed in strong winds at Tokyo's international airport, bursting into a ball of flames. A pilot and co-pilot were aboard but their safety could not immediately be confirmed. "A cargo plane crash landed at the airport, but we have not had any information of casualties," a local police official said. The plane was on a regular flight from Guangzhou, China. It landed under strong winds early on Monday, appearing to bounce and burst into flames as it skidded to a halt. Fire trucks were trying to put out the flames more than half an hour after the crash. The plane was an MD-11, according to Japan's Kyodo News. Television footage showed the crashed plane in flames as smoke billowed from it near a runway at the airport. AP ************** Video Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7958392.stm **************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC