MOSCOW/IRKUTSK. Dec 26 (Interfax-AVN) - Technical malfunctions could be the reason behind the crash of the An-12 transport aircraft near Irkutsk on Thursday, a source in the Russian air industry told Interfax-AVN.
"Most probably the plane crashed due to technical malfunction," the source said.
The aircraft "was piloted by an experienced crew, which carried out Novosibirsk-Irkutsk flights many times," the source said.
The weather in the airport "was satisfactory" at the time of the crash, the source said.