10:48 AM EST on Wednesday, February 8, 2006

By BILL BERGSTROM / Associated Press Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A UPS cargo plane, with flames shooting from its cargo hold, made an emergency landing early Wednesday in time for the pilot and two crew members to jump to safety on the tarmac.

With smoke in the hold, the crew declared an emergency on their approach into Philadelphia International Airport. Fire and rescue crews met the four-engine jet, a DC-8 bound from Atlanta to Philadelphia, when it touched down shortly after midnight.

Firefighters said the blaze was under control by about 4 a.m., though the plane still smoldered. The plane had extensive damage along the top of its fuselage.

The airport canceled most flights during the night, mostly cargo flights, airport spokesman Mark Pesce said.

The charred plane and firefighting equipment still blocked one of the two main runways when the airport reopened at 6 a.m. Pesce said some flights had been delayed or canceled but that airport operations were “almost business as usual” by 9 a.m.

The plane, UPS Flight 1307, was carrying routine packages, UPS spokesman Mark Giuffre said. He said the National Transportation Safety Board was investigating the cause of the fire.

Giuffre said that UPS must wait until the completion of the NTSB investigation before checking on the condition of the packages, which were headed for destinations in Philadelphia and elsewhere.  Customers can use UPS tracking numbers to check on the status of their packages, Giuffre said.

The pilot and two crew members were examined for smoke inhalation at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital and released about 4 a.m., Giuffre said.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)