The LET-410 aircraft of Noar Airlines that crashed on Wednesday morning in Recife, capital of the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, resulting in 16 deaths, fell to the ground just three minutes after taking off, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) said.

The plane tookoff at 6:51 a.m. (0951 am GMT) with two crew members and fourteen passengers bound for Natal, north of the Brazilian coast.

Right after the take-off, the pilot informed the control tower of the Recife international airport that there was an emergency situation and he would attempt a forced landing.

Two minutes later, he resumed contact with the control tower warning he would not make it to the runway and would try to land onto the beach of Boa Viagem.

The control tower lost contact with the plane four minutes after the take-off, when it disappeared from radar monitors.

Witnesses said the plane was flying at low altitude when it crashed onto a vacant lot and exploded immediately.

All bodies of the passengers (nine men and five women) and the pilot and copilot, were found on Wednesday afternoon and taken to Recife's Forensic Institute for identification and subsequent delivery to the family.

Noar Airlines reported that the LET-410 was purchased new from the Czech Republic and had been in operation for a year.

Brazilian Air Force said they had begun investigations into the cause of the accident.