TOKYO - A SMAL plane carrying four US airmen burst into flames after an emergency landing on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, leaving its pilot with minor injuries, officials said on Saturday.

The four-seater Cessna 172 landed in a sugarcane field in Nago during a private flight Friday, catching fire as soon as it hit the ground, cracking its nose cone, Okinawa police official Hideki Taira said.

The pilot, identified only as a 45-year-old airman from Kadena Air Base, suffered a broken jaw, Mr Taira said. The three others were rescued without injuries.

Police were interviewing the men on Saturday to determine the cause of the accident, Mr Taira said, adding that investigators believe the plane ran low on fuel while it was returning to the base.

The plane cut a power line in the neighborhood where it crashed, temporarily leaving hundreds of households without electricity.

Okinawa, 1,600 kilometers south of Tokyo, is home to more than half the 50,000 US troops based in Japan, and anti-US military sentiment is particularly strong on the island.

Many Okinawans blame American servicemen for increased crime in the area and complain that the bases are responsible for annoyances such as jet noise. -- AP