Russia: Plane in fatal crash improperly de-iced

MOSCOW - The head of Russia's civil aviation agency says the airliner that crashed in Siberia, killing 31 people, appears to have been improperly de-iced before takeoff.

However, Rosaviatsiya head Alexander Neradko was also quoted as saying there was no indication that the de-icing negligence caused the crash.

The twin-engine turboprop belonging to UTair crashed shortly after takeoff Monday from the snowy western Siberian city of Tyumen with 43 people aboard. Twelve people have been hospitalized in serious condition.

The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Neradko as saying the de-icing treatment "was not done at the necessary level." But he added investigators could not yet connect this with the causes of the crash.