Russia plane downed by iced instruments

Investigators have been cited as saying a Russian plane crashed because its instruments may have iced over and showed the wrong speed.

A plane crash near Moscow that killed all 71 people on board could have been caused in part by instruments showing incorrect speed, the TASS news agency has quoted investigators as saying.

The instruments could have malfunctioned because sensors had iced over, said the Russia Interstate Aviation Committee, which is investigating the crash.

The AN-148 passenger plane was en route from Moscow to the Russian provincial city of Orsk on Sunday and was operated by Russia's Saratov Airlines.