The pilot of an Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed into the sea minutes after takeoff flew in the opposite direction from the path recommended by the Beirut control tower, Lebanon's transportation minister said on Tuesday.

An Ethiopian Airlines plane carrying 90 people caught fire and crashed into the sea minutes after taking off from Beirut early on Monday, setting off a frantic search as passenger seats, baby sandals and other debris washed ashore. At least 23 bodies were recovered.

A Russian military plane crashed into the sea during a training exercise in Russia's Far East region, leaving all 11 crew members missing and presumed dead, officials said on Saturday.

A surveillance plane assigned to the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti crashed into a mountain on Friday, killing all 11 military personnel on board, the United Nations said.

The pilot who radioed a desperate, last-minute warning says a plane that struck a helicopter over the Hudson River "looked like a cruise missile hitting a target."