No, it is a true story. It wasn't the Russians who made the decision, it was the mechanic we took along, the senior management guy who happened to be on the airplane, the station manager and the Captain. There was no deicing capability so they took a fire extinguisher off the wall, loaded it with vodka and sprayed the wings. (Side note: if you're ever on fire in Magadan, be careful which fire extinguisher you choose!)

No one would have known about it, except Alaska, in its infinite wisdom, decided to publish the story in the in house propaganda organ. It was a "Look what we'll do to get the flight out on time!" story. Unfortunately, that's where the Feds picked up on the story. They were not as impressed with "can do" spirit demonstrated nor were they amused. I believe we got a fine out of the whole deal.