American Airlines chairman Mr Donald Carty said today the company had "absolutely no indication" why its flight 587 from New York to the Dominican Republic crashed shortly after takeoff, killing more than 250 on board.
"At this time, we have absolutely no indication of what caused the accident," Mr Carty told a news conference after speaking with officials shortly before heading to New York.
"Today's news comes at a difficult time for the nation, a difficult time for the airline industry and a very difficult time for American Airlines," Mr Carty said, referring to the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
"Given the changed world we live in today, it will be as important as it has ever been to quickly and to accurately determine the cause of this accident," he said.
New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said there were no survivors among the 246 passengers and nine crew on board the plane.
A spokesman for the airline, Mr Al Becker, said the plane, an Airbus Industrie A300-600, was 13 years old and was one of 35 in American's fleet.
The jet in question last had routine maintenance on Sunday, Mr Becker said, adding that it had undergone a more thorough check on October 3. The plane was next due for a complete overhaul in July 2002, he said.