Kathmandu , Nepal ( CNN ) -- Nineteen people aboard a small plane were killed Sunday when it crashed while trying to land at the airport in Kathmandu , police in Nepal said . Among the occupants onboard were two Americans , officials said . The Beechcraft plane was returning from a sightseeing tour when it hit a mountain and broke into pieces about 12 kilometers ( 7 miles ) from the airport , said police spokesman Binod Singh . It was carrying 16 passengers and three crew members . The crew members were Nepalese , as were three passengers . Ten other passengers were Indian nationals ; two were Americans and one was a Japanese national , officials said . `` We had already seen the plane approaching the airport when the accident happened , '' said Purusottam Shakya , the chief of operations at Tribhuvan International Airport . In August , a plane headed to Mt . Everest on a sightseeing tour crashed , killing 14 people onboard . Among the victims were four Americans and a British national , officials said at the time .
NEW : Among the victims are two Americans and a Japanese national . The plane was returning from a sightseeing tour , police say . It hit a mountain and broke into pieces , a police spokesman says .