Boeing 777 crashes at San Francisco International Airport
Rescue crews douse the plane on July 6. - NEW: There are no signs of terrorism tied to the crash, official says
- The Boeing 777 crashed at San Francisco International Airport
- Flight 214 had flown from Seoul
- Pictures show parts of the plane's roof charred or ripped off
(CNN) -- An Asiana Airlines' Boeing 777 crashed and burned Saturday while landing at San Francisco International Airport, sending up a large plume of dark smoke from an aircraft that lost its tail and much of its roof.
Flight 214 left Seoul's Incheon International Airport earlier Saturday and flew 10 hours and 23 minutes to California, according to FlightAware, a website that offers tracking services for private and commercial air traffic.
There was no official word on any casualties.
Anthony Castorani, who witnessed the flight land from a nearby hotel, said he saw the plane touch the ground then noticed a larger plume of white smoke.
"You heard a pop and you immediately saw a large, brief fireball that came from underneath the aircraft," he told CNN.
Plane loses tail during crash landing 
Plane crashes at San Francisco airport 
'Large, brief fireball' as plane landed Kristina Stapchuck saw the dramatic scene unfold from her seat on a plane on the airport tarmac. Soon after Flight 214 touched down, "it looked like the tires slipped a little bit and it rocked back," she told CNN.
Parts of the plane began to break off as it rocked and then began to spin.
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"It all happened so suddenly," Stapchuck told CNN.
Video taken soon after the crash and posted on YouTube showed dark gray smoke rising from the plane, which appeared to be upright. That smoke later became white, even as fire crews continued to douse the plane.
A photograph posted to Twitter shows what appear to be passengers walking off the plane, some of them toting bags, as smoke rises from the other side.
"I just crash landed at SFO," read the accompanying message from David Eun. "Tail ripped off. Most everyone seems fine. I'm ok. Surreal..."
The plane can carry 301 passengers and travel a maximum distance of 9,395 nautical miles
Asiana Airlines operates 71 aircraft and serves 14.7 million passengers annually
The airline was voted Airline of the Year by Global Traveler in 2011
In 1993, Asiana Airlines Boeing 737 crashed killing 68 people
The top of the aircraft was charred and, in spots, gone entirely, according to video from CNN affiliate KTVU. The plane was on its belly, with no landing gear evident and the rear tail of the plane gone.
Debris settled from the water's edge, along San Francisco Bay, up to where the plane eventually came to a stop.
Fire trucks were on site, while first responders could be seen walking outside the aircraft.
Evacuation slides could be seen extending from one side of the aircraft, from which there was no apparent smoke.
Corrine Gaines, from the U.S. Coast Guard's operations in San Francisco, said that a helicopter had been launched and that her agency is helping others responding at the scene.
The Bay Area airport was closed to incoming and departing traffic after the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration said on its website, adding that the time when it's expected to reopen is unknown.
A number of flights bound for there were diverted Saturday afternoon to Los Angeles International Airport, LAX officials said in a post to the airport's official Twitter account.
San Francisco International Airport, located some 12 miles south of downtown San Francisco, is California's second busiest, behind LAX.
There were a few clouds in the sky around the time of the crash, and temperatures were about 65 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Winds were about 8 miles per hour.
The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a "go team" that will be led by chairwoman Deborah Hersman to investigate the crash, the agency said.
There are no signs of terrorism related to the crash, a national security official told CNN.
Asiana Airlines-- one of South Korea's two major airlines, the other being Korean Air -- got the plane involved in the incident in 2006, according to the Aviation Safety Network. The craft has two Pratt & Whitney engines, it said.
Asiana operates many of its flights out of Incheon International Airport, which is the largest airport in South Korea and considered among the busiest in the world.
According to information on Asiana Airlines' website, the company has 12 Boeing 777 planes. They have a seating capacity of between 246 and 300 people and had a cruising speed of 555 mph (894 kph).
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