Brazilian plane crashes with 176 aboard, kills 3

SAO PAULO, July 18 (Reuters) A Brazilian airliner carrying 176 people crashed and burst into flames at Brazil's busiest airport, killing at least three people in the country's second major air disaster in less than a year.

The Airbus A320 was flying into Sao Paulo from Porto Alegre in southern Brazil when it lost control on landing yesterday. It skidded off the rain-soaked runway and flew over a bustling avenue just below, slamming into a gas station and cargo terminal.

''The plane came spinning and passed over our heads at the level of the street lights. We could hear the engine noise getting louder and the plane growing in front of us. When it hit the ground it exploded sending pieces all around,'' said Luis Santos, who was in his car at the station at the time.

Dozens of ambulances raced to the crash site and television images showed the plane's tail sticking out from the cargo terminal in flames as firefighters tried to put out the blaze.

Government officials said the body of one man was removed from the site. At least two other bodies had also been recovered, according to Globo News TV. Two local hospitals said they were treating at least seven people for injuries.

The plane, operated by Brazil's No 1 airline TAM Linhas Aereas , was carrying 176 passengers and crew.

Initial reports said 174 people were on board. At least one of the passengers was a prominent congressman, an aide told Reuters.

Last September, 154 people were killed when a Brazilian passenger plane collided with a small executive jet and crashed in the Amazon jungle in the worst air accident in the country's history.

The Congonhas airport, located in the heart of South America's largest city, has had runway problems for years and recently repaved one of its landing strips.

Earlier this year, officials tried to ban wide-bodied jets from the airport because of fears they could skid off its short landing strips.

Air travel in Brazil has repeatedly been disrupted since the September crash unveiled a series of problems, including insufficient infrastructure and overburdened, underpaid staff.

Last month, two passenger planes clipped wings while taxiing at Congonhas, increasing concerns about safety.

Reuters JK VP0645