Airport officials said a cargo plane contracted by UPS went off the runway on Friday after landing at an airport in the U.S. state of West Virginia, killing the pilot and co-pilot.

The plane, flying from Louisville, Kentucky, was trying to land at Yeager Airport in Charleston at around 7:00 a.m. local time (1100 GMT).

After crashing, the plane went down a steep, wooded hill, according to a Fox News report.

Mike Plante, a spokesman for Yeager Airport, said that the plane is owned by Air Cargo Carriers, which contracts for UPS.

Mr. Plante said there was no indication of any issue with the aircraft before the crash.

Charleston airport officials have proposed spending $290 million to rebuild and extend the runway after a landslide in 2015 took out a church and an unoccupied house.

The proposal calls for lengthening the runway from about 6,800 feet (2,073 meters) to 8,000 feet (2,438 meters).

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident, Fox News said.

(Xinhua/NAN)