A plane carrying 27 people crashed near an airport in Congo on the weekend, after the pilot ignored a warning from the control tower.

It's believe everyone on board was killed. About half of the bodies had been recovered by Sunday night.

Although the plane crashed Saturday afternoon, word of the accident was first reported on Sunday.

The Antonov 26-B, which is designed to carry 20 people, was on its way from the Congolese capital of Kinshasa to Tshikapa, headquarters for the country's diamond industry.

But the plane encountered mechanical problems, according to officials, preventing it from touching down.

The control tower ordered the pilot to make an emergency landing at Tshikapa, but he chose to try to return to Kinshasa instead.

The plane crashed shortly after starting the 650-kilometre journey back.