http://www.msnbc.com :
THE AIRBUS A300 crashed shortly after 9 a.m. in the Rockaways section of Queens on Long Island, sending up a thick plume of black smoke that could be seen miles away.
Bill Schumann of the Federal Aviation Administration said there was no immediate indication of what caused the crash and other U.S. government officials told NBC News there was no evidence to suggest that terrorists brought down the jet.
Schumann said the plane could hold up to 275 passengers, and crashed about five miles from Kennedy Airport. There was no immediate indication how many people were on board the plane.
Sources told NBC News that U.S. military flights on routine patrol over New York City had no indication the jet was in trouble before the crash.
Though there was no suggestion that the crash was caused by terrorists, city officials closed JFK and La Guardia Airport, which also is Queens, were shut the subway and all bridges and tunnels as a precaution.
A witness, Debby Ciuffo, told NBC affiliate WNYC that it appeared that an engine on the plane exploded before the crash.
?It started spinning and went nose down (into the ground),? she said.
The flight was scheduled to leave at 8:00 a.m. but the takeoff was delayed until 9:15 a.m.
