CNN

MOSCOW, Russia -- Ten crew members were killed when a cargo plane crashed on takeoff at a military airport outside Moscow, according to Russian authorities.

The plane, which was on a flight to Norilsk in northern Russia, was carrying construction materials, an Emergency Ministry spokesman told Reuters.

The four-engined jet, a workhorse of Russian aviation, crashed on Saturday morning near the Chkalovsky airport, used by the military and the Emergencies Ministry, he added. Controllers lost contact with the aircraft two minutes after it took off, ITAR-Tass news agency reported. It had reached an altitude of about 150 feet when it crashed about 550 yards from the end of the runway.

The plane had full fuel tanks and a fire broke out after the crash, the report said. Airport firefighters extinguished the blaze after about 40 minutes, ITAR-Tass said.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), July 18, 2001