A U.S. Transportation Department official told CNN on Monday that early indications pointed to a "catastrophic engine event" as the cause of the crash, although other causes, including terrorism, had not been ruled out.

At least 262 people were killed Monday morning when the Airbus A300 plunged into the Rockaway neighborhood of Queens three minutes after taking off from John F. Kennedy International Airport en route to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. (Timeline)

The plane broke apart after takeoff, raining flames and debris on a neighborhood that lost 60 residents in the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The crash damaged at least 11 houses, destroying four and causing serious damage to four others.

The plane carried 251 passengers and a crew of nine. At least five people were reported missing on the ground after the crash. New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told CNN on Tuesday that 262 bodies had been recovered from the crash site. The number was revised down from 265 people with no explanation.

Investigators are preparing to ship the plane's two engines to another location where they will be disassembled, National Transportation Safety Board member George Black said Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America." He said investigators should be able to determine quickly if some type of catastrophic engine failure led to the crash.

Black told CNN that investigators were interested in looking at radar data from area airports that were tracking Flight 587. He said the data would show the sequence in which the jet broke apart, possibly offering clues to what happened when the plane fell from the sky.

Families gather to grieve
Family members of the victims gathered Tuesday to mourn at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan -- the same place where many went after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

"I want them to know that we're there to support them, to help them and to assist them in every single way that we can," Giuliani said after visiting the center Tuesday with New York Gov. George Pataki. The city, state and federal government are "all trying to work together to make this as easy as a difficult situation like this can be."

Pataki added, "All of us ... are and will continue to stand with these families throughout their times of need."

He said Kennedy airport was operating at 65 percent to 70 percent of normal capacity and that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey expected it to be back at full operation by Tuesday afternoon. The other two major New York-area airports, LaGuardia and Newark, returned to full operation a few hours after Monday's crash.

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