KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, FEB. 19 -- A jumbo jet owned by an American cargo company crashed outside the capital this morning while trying to land at an airport, and authorities said the four Americans aboard were killed. Police recovered the plane's flight data recorder and planned to examine it, but officials said the cause of the crash was not immediately apparent. A witness reported seeing a huge explosion in wooded hills 10 miles from Subang International Airport, where the Boeing 747 was headed. The plane, owned by Flying Tiger, a Los Angeles-based company, carried only four people and was loaded with clothing and mail, according to Ann-Marie Hennessey, a spokeswoman for the company. She said in a telephone interview that, despite foggy conditions at the time of the crash, the crew reported no problems to the control tower. Officials said only one of the four bodies was recovered before the search was suspended for the night. Both the cargo company and the U.S. Embassy confirmed that four Americans died in the crash. Charles Tomson, Flying Tiger vice president for human resources, identified the crew of the plane as Frank Helpin, 53, of Los Angeles, captain; Jack Robinson, 54, of Tucson, first officer; Ron Penton, 70, of Burlingame, Calif., second officer and Leonard Sulewski, 53, of Whitehouse, N.J., maintenance engineer. The flight originated at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, and went on to Columbus, Ohio; Anchorage, Alaska; Narita, Japan; Taipei, Taiwan; Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. It was to leave Malaysia for Hong Kong. Officials of the cargo company, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Air Safety Board were to arrive here Monday or Tuesday to take part in the investigation of the crash.