Beijing , China ( CNN ) -- Three American crew members died when a Zimbabwean cargo plane crashed early Saturday at Shanghai 's Pudong International Airport , the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said . The embassy said one of the injured crew members was also an American . The crash happened at about 8:15 a.m. ( 7:15 p.m . ET Friday ) during takeoff in Shanghai , according to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board . The plane was destined for Harare , Zimbabwe , said the agency . The NTSB is sending an investigation team to site of the accident . Four other people on the plane were seriously injured , and the cause of the crash is not yet known , the NTSB said . Earlier , China 's official Xinhua news agency reported that the plane was on its way to Kyrgyzstan and caught fire on takeoff . Thick smoke was seen billowing from the crash site .
Three Americans die when cargo plane crashes at Shanghai 's Pudong International Airport . Three people who survived were among the crew members on board . Plane was on its way to Shanghai and caught fire on takeoff .