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U.S. experts arrive in Russia to investigate Boeing crash

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PERM, September 16 (RIA Novosti) - A group of U.S. experts have arrived in the Urals city of Perm to investigate Sunday's Boeing-737 crash, which left 88 people dead, a spokeswoman for the local governor said on Tuesday.

"According to preliminary information, 20 people have arrived," she said, adding that the relatives of a U.S. man killed in the crash had also arrived in the city.

The head of the Federal Air Navigation Service, Alexander Neradko, said Monday that representatives Boeing and the engine-producing company, CFM International, would visit Perm to investigate the crash.

Under international aviation regulations, a plane manufacturer is entitled to take part in crash investigations which involve one of its planes.

The Boeing-737-500, owned by flagship Russian carrier Aeroflot, crashed on a railroad track linking Yekaterinburg and Perm early on Sunday, only 300-500 meters (1000-1600 feet) away from the nearest residential buildings. The wreckage was scattered across an area of 10 square km (4 square miles).

Technical failure is seen as the most likely cause of the crash.

The flight data recorders were sent to Moscow for deciphering on Monday which is expected to take three to four weeks.

Meanwhile, leading Russian business daily Kommersant said, citing a member of the investigation committee, that the accident may have been caused by a fire in the right engine and an equipment malfunction.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the plane had exploded only after hitting the earth at an angle of approximately 30 degrees. The aircraft was torn into small pieces after the plane exploded on impact.

"This is indicated by the wide distribution of aircraft wreckage," the paper writes. "If the plane had exploded in the air, it would have fallen apart in large fragments."

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