Baghdad - A civilian cargo plane carrying six crew members and one passenger crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, a US military spokesman said.

According to the CNN website, either a mechanical failure or a pilot error appeared to have caused the accident.

Despite affirming that there was no high-profile coalition personnel on board, the spokesman said the status of the crew members was not yet known.

It was reported earlier on Thursday that an airplane made an emergency landing in Anbar province, south of the city of Fallujah, a bastion of Iraqi militants.

Meanhwile, INA news agency, known for its criticism of the US presence in Iraq, said that it might have been shot down, without mentioning sources.

INA also said that the plane is well-known to the people in the province, who call it "The Whale" because it is very big.

The plane was heading towards Baghdad International Airport after it left al-Asad Airfield in the Anbar province. (dpa)