Small plane explodes near Texas airport

A twin-engine airplane exploded and burst into flames when landing near an airport in the U.S. state of Texas Wednesday, U.S. media reported. No injuries were confirmed yet. The Beechcraft King Air crashed near Pearland Regional Airport, located 27 km from downtown Houston, local daily the Houston Chronicle reported. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford was quoted as saying that the plane was flying from Austin to Galveston, both in Texas, when the pilot was diverted to Pearland due to low visibility in Galveston. The pilot had tried to land once and was going around for another approach when the plane crashed, Lunsford said. The plane exploded and burned on impact after striking the ground nose-first. A Department of Public Safety trooper told local TV KHOU that the impact was so intense as the plane crashed four feet (1.2 meters) into the ground. According to preliminary information, the pilot was the only person in the plane, although it has not been confirmed. There was no immediate word on the pilot's condition. Officials have notified the National Transportation Safety Board, which will be in charge of the investigation.