US investigators have identified the aircraft involved in an accident at Alabama's Birmingham airport as an Airbus A300-600 operated by freight carrier UPS.

Preliminary surveillance data indicates that an aircraft from Louisville, matching this description, had been on approach to runway 18 at Birmingham at around 05:00.

NOTAM information subsequently issued for the airport states that runway 18/36 has been closed and that its instrument landing system and path-indicator lighting has been rendered unservicable.

The National Transportation Safety Board says it is "gathering information" on the crash.

UPS states that it has been "notified of an incident" involving one of its aircraft, identifying the flight as 1354 from Louisville to Birmingham.

"At this time we are still determining the details of the incident," it states. No information about the number of crew members on board has been confirmed.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news