LSRPictures - FedEx A310

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MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- A Federal Express cargo plane overshot a runway while landing during a downpour Monday, smashing into a steel landing instrument at Manila's international airport before skidding to a stop near a concrete wall, officials said.

The two pilots, the lone occupants of the Airbus 310 plane which was arriving from the central Philippine province of Cebu, safely disembarked after the 10:48 a.m. (0248 GMT) accident, officials said.

The front portion of the plane and two of its engines were damaged, Air Transport Office chief Jacinto Ortega said.

"It was raining and the plane apparently came in too fast," Ortega said.

Capt. David Hostvedt, the plane's pilot, refused to talk to reporters.

The plane overshot the runway by more than 20 meters (66 feet) and ground to a halt on a grassy area about two meters (6.6 feet)in front of a concrete perimeter wall separating the northern portion of the airport from a busy highway, witnesses said.

As it skidded off the runway, the plane struck and destroyed a metal instrument landing system, which guides planes on landing, officials said.

The plane's front landing gear got stuck in the ground with the front portion of the fuselage resting on the ground, said an Associated Press photographer at the scene. Airport crewmen were using two large air bags to lift the plane from the ground.

Officials initially put on hold all international flights due to the accident but later decided to allow a number of flights to depart using the other end of the main runway.

Federal Express, based in the United States, located its Asian hub in the early 1990s at the former U.S. Navy base at Subic Bay. The base has been transformed into a bustling industrial center about 95 kilometers (58 miles) northwest of Manila.

©CNN - 28/06/1999