Two pilots have died in a plane crash at Tokyo's Narita airport.

The FedEx cargo plane, en route from China, exploded into a ball of flames when one of its wings clipped the ground while attempting to land in high winds just before 9am this morning (Melbourne time).

Public broadcaster NHK says the pilots are US citizens.

They were reportedly the only two people aboard the plane.



The plane was on a regular flight from Guangzhou, China.