A small plane slammed into a 40-storey apartment building in New York, killing two people in a crash that rained flaming debris onto the pavements and briefly raised fears of another terrorist attack.

The pilots on American Airlines Flight 587 probably did not know the tail had broken off as they desperately tried to right the doomed jetliner, a US federal investigator said today.

Investigators in New York are examining the possibility that turbulence left in the wake of another plane may have caused Monday’s air crash in Queens, which claimed more than 260 lives.

Investigators closely studying both black boxes recovered from American Airlines Flight 587, hope to explain why the doomed plane shook twice before breaking apart above a New York neighbourhood still grieving for its victims of the World Trade Centre attacks.

US air investigators have recovered the second black box from the wreckage of an American Airlines jet that crashed in New York killing over 260 people.

Investigators have found the flight data recorder that could yield clues about the final seconds of the American Airlines crash in New York that killed more than 260 people.

US investigators are treating the latest air disaster to hit New York as an accident.

Janet Barasso ran blindly through thick, black smoke with her two sons yesterday and feared the worst after an American Airlines jetliner crashed just a block from her home.

US officials concluded a month ago that there was an unsafe condition in the type of engine that powered the Airbus that crashed in New York yesterday, killing more than 260 people.

This is a partial list of passengers and a complete list of crew for American Airlines Flight 587 which crashed in New York yesterday, killing all those on board.

The death toll from the New York jet crash today rose to at least 265 as investigators began studying the wreckage of the plane.

Aer Lingus said all flights will operate as normal to and from the United States today.

Kleig lights - the kind of lights used at ground zero at the trade center - have been brought to the Rockaway Beach section of Queens so recovery workers could work into the night.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern last night relayed sympathy to the relatives of the New York air crash victims.

New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani has said 225 bodies have now been recovered after an American Airlines airbus crashed into a residential area in the borough of Queens in New York.

Investigators believe the pilot knew something was wrong before the American Airlines jet he was flying crashed into a residential neighborhood, killing all on board, New York Governor George Pataki has said.

Hospital staff in New York say the Queens plane crash aftermath is eerily similar to that of September 11.

Transatlantic flight schedules are expected to return to normal tomorrow after a day of disruption caused by latest US air disaster.

US President George W Bush has spoken to the nation after an American Airlines jet crashed in the New York borough of Queens, apparently killing all 255 people on board and injuring several people on the ground.

New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani has said 161 bodies have been recovered so far after an American Airlines airbus crashed into a residential area in the borough of Queens in New York.

Four homes have been destroyed in the Queens jet crash.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern tonight relayed sympathy to the relatives of the New York air crash victims.

Mary Blakey, of the National Transportation Safety Board, has said that the plane's wreckage has spread over a wide area of Queens.

The National Transportation Safety Board in America say that initial information suggests that the New York plane crash was an accident.

Insurance company, Lloyd's of London, are assessing the cost of today's plane crash in New York.

American Airlines spokesman Al Becker said the plane was one of 35 A300 airbuses in its fleet.

It has been reported that the flight data recorder for the plane which crashed in Queens, New York, has been recovered

The plane which crashed in New York is one of the most popular mid-size airliners flying today and has a good safety record.

The Irish consulate in New York is currently trying to establish if any Irish citizens were on board the American Airlines flight which crashed in New York today.

The American Airlines crash in New York will have a disastrous effect on the airline industry whether it was caused by a terrorist attack or not, aviation experts said today.

White House secretary Ari Fleischer has said that the shutdown of the major New York airports is to be of "limited duration".

An official said the pilot of Flight 587 reported no trouble before the crash, adding that recordings of conversations with the cockpit were still being reviewed. There was no evidence of terrorism, the official said.

White House secretary Ari Fleischer is giving a briefing on the New York plane crash.

Peninsula Hospital Centre in Rockaway said 15 people were currently being treated for injuries from the crash.

Relatives of passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 587 crowded Santon Domingo airport in the Dominican Republic today, sobbing and grasping each other after hearing the flight bound for the Caribbean nation crashed shortly after take off.

Neighbours jolted from their beds as the Airbus crashed near their homes today ran outside with fire extinguishers and garden hoses, trying to fight fires left by debris from the crash.

An official said the Bush administration was considering suspending the take off of flights nationwide but there had been no decision.

The New York district where the jet came down was already mourning dozens of victims of the September 11 terror attacks.

Bush administration officials say the FBI believes there was an explosion on board the plane and they’re investigating its source.

New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said: ‘‘We are just closing the tunnels and bridges for an hour or two to see if this is an isolated incident, which we hope it is.’’

It is reported that JFK airport has reopened for arrivals only.

American Airlines has set up a helpline in America for people enquiring about the plane crash in Queens, New York.

Foreign Minister Brian Cowen is safe in New York following today’s crash of an American Airlines Airbus, the Foreign Ministry said.

The type of Airbus which crashed in New York is one of the earlier models but is widely used by airlines across the world and has a good safety record.