Fifteen killed in Uzbek plane crash

TASHKENT, Oct 19 (Reuters) A small plane being used for flight training crashed in the Central Asian state of Uzbekistan today, killing 15 people on board, Uzbek television said.

The single-engine Antonov-2 aircraft, which belonged to Uzbekistan's national airline, crashed as it tried to land at an airport near the capital Tashkent.

''Because weather conditions worsened sharply, the crew carried out an emergency landing off airport runways and the plane crashed,'' Uzbek television said.

Two crew members and 13 military personnel were killed.

REUTERS LL BST2113