A small plane has crashed into a quiet neighbourhood in Tokyo, killing at least three people.

The single-engine propeller plane set ablaze a row of houses after crashing shortly after takeoff from an airport in Tokyo's western suburb of Chofu.

The pilot, a passenger and a woman on the ground were killed, while three people were pulled alive from the wreckage, firefighters and TV reported.

Television footage showed a mangled plane, broken up with its tail upside down, resting on houses.

Dozens of firefighters were seen battling the blaze and treating the casualties.

Tokyo Fire Department officials said the three dead suffered heart and lung failures.

Five others, including three passengers and two on the ground, were taken to hospitals but their conditions were not immediately known.

The plane was flying to Izu Oshima Island, about 60 miles south of Tokyo in the Pacific Ocean, according to NHK public broadcaster.