US plane crashes killing 19 aboard

American officials have announced a formal inquiry into the crash of a charter jet in the state of Pennsylvania, which killed all nineteen people on board.

The aircraft crashed during its second attempt to land at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International airport in rain and fog, breaking up and bursting into flames.

It was on its way from the coastal resort of Atlantic City in New Jersey.

The pilots had reported severe mechanical difficulties when the aircraft disappeared off the radar , and in a tape recording of their final conversation with air traffic control, they said they'd lost both engines.

The BBC Correspondent in Washington says it may never become exactly clear what happened.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service