A government spokesman said no-one appeared to have died on the ground as the plane fell in an empty area. Earlier reports suggested as many as 30 people had died.
DR Congo has a poor air safety record.
Its airlines have been banned by the European Union from flying into EU airspace.Two years ago, 74 people were killed in a crash at the airport in the central city of Kisangani.
Last year, President Joseph Kabila's personal adviser, Augustin Katumba, was killed in a crash in the city of Bukavu.
