US experts arrive in Russia to investigate Boeing crash

A group of US experts have arrived in the Russian city of Perm in the Urals to investigate Sunday's crash of a Boeing-737 aircraft, which left 88 people dead, a spokeswoman for the city government Tuesday.

"According to preliminary information, 20 people have arrived," she said, adding that the relatives of a US 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 of Boeing and the manufactureres of the aircraft's engine 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 away from the nearest residential building complex. The wreckage was scattered across an area of 10 square km.

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

Decoding of the flight data recorders, sent to Moscow Monday, is expected to take three to four weeks.