"I think that if engine fail, one should examine the fuel system. A rupture of a duct, a ducting or a flow divider valve could have occurred – one should look for a problem there," Antoshkin told RIA Novosti.
He also said that other possible problems are unlikely to have caused the crash.
"I do not think that the crash was caused by a foreign object penetrating the engine. The jet could not have been fueled by low-quality fuel, the pilots were experienced and there was no sabotage," Antoshkin said.
The Russian Defense Ministry's Tu-154 aircraft en route to Syria from Moscow crashed soon after takeoff near Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi on Sunday.
The plane was carrying 92 people including eight crew members, 64 musicians of the Alexandrov Ensemble, nine reporters, head of Spravedlivaya Pomoshch (Fair Aid) charity Elizaveta Glinka, and two federal civil servants. All 92 are feared dead.
