Washington - A small passenger plane crashed Sunday afternoon in the western state of Montana, killing an estimated 17 people including a number of children, federal officials confirmed.

   Les Dorr, the spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, could not confirm the exact number of dead.

   The single-engine propeller plane had departed from California, and was headed to Bozeman, Montana, the FAA said.

   But it changed its destination at the last minute and tried to land in Butte, where it crashed near the Holy Cross cemetery, about 170 metres short of the landing strip about 3 pm (2100 GMT), according to local media reports.

   It was not clear why the pilot changed his destination.

   The children were on their way to a ski vacation, a reporter for a local newspaper, the Montana Standard, told US broadcaster CNN. He said he had talked to fire and rescue people at the scene.

   The aircraft was a small Pilatus POC-12 plane type, normally only licensed to carry ten passengers, Dorr said.

   The plane is registered to Eagle Cap Leasing in Enterprise, Oregon, Dorr added. It wasn't immediately possible to contact the company by telephone.

   The Los Angeles Times reported that the plane may have originated in Redlands, California, and stopped to refuel in Oroville, California, before heading to Montana.