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Smolensk air disaster

Coordinates: 54°49′30″N 032°1′30″E / 54.82500°N 32.02500°E / 54.82500; 32.02500
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File:Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash.jpg
Accident
Dateabout 10:56 MSK (UTC+4) 10 April 2010[1]
Summarypilot error[1]
SiteSuvorova Street, Severny District[2]
54°49′30″N 032°1′30″E / 54.82500°N 32.02500°E / 54.82500; 32.02500
Aircraft
Aircraft typeTupolev Tu-154
OperatorPolish Air Force
Flight originFrédéric Chopin Airport,
Warsaw, Poland
DestinationSmolensk-North Airport
Smolensk, Russia
Fatalities88 (all) [3]
Injuries0
Survivors0

On 10 April 2010, a Tupolev Tu-154 of the Polish 36th Special Aviation Regiment carrying the President of Poland Lech Kaczyński crashed near Smolensk-North Airport near Pechyorsk, Smolensk Oblast, Russia, killing all aboard.

Accident

At 10:56 Moscow summer time, (06:56 UTC),[4] a Tupolev Tu-154,[5] carrying the Polish President Lech Kaczyński crashed near Smolensk, Russia. President Kaczyński was due to visit Smolensk to mark the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.[4] The flight had departed from Warsaw's Frédéric Chopin Airport and was bound for Smolensk Airport.[6] The aircraft was carrying at least 88 passengers and crew, according to the latest reports by Polish officials.[4] It is feared that all were killed in the accident.[5][7]

The crash occurred in foggy conditions (500m visibility without instrument landing system) about 1.5km from the airport, about 300–400 meters off the landing path,[8] after the pilots attempted a go-around.[9] The airport was closed because of thick fog and the pilot was offered a choice of landing instead in either Moscow or Minsk, however he decided to continue with the original flight plan and the crash occurred on the fourth approach after three failed attempts.[10][11] The cause of the crash was attributed to crew error. Pilot was offered landing in the Sheremetyevo International Airport or Minsk International Airport but he did not accept the proposal. [12]

The governor of Smolensk Oblast, Sergei Antufiev, confirmed for Russia 24 news channel that there were no survivors in the crash. The plane, which was reported to have been flying at a very low altitude at an estimated 40–45 degrees' bank, clipped the tree with its wing, hit the ground, broke up into pieces and rapidly started burning.[citation needed]

Flight manifest

Tupolev Tu-154 at Zagreb Airport, during President Kaczyński's visit to Croatia in 2010

According to the flight manifest on board were:[13][14]

Aftermath

Within hours after the crash the President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, announced the establishment of a special commission for the investigation of the plane crash. The commission will be supervised by the Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin.[15][16][17]

According to the Polish Constitution, in case of the President's death, his duty will be carried by the Marshal of the Sejm, in this case it is Bronisław Komorowski.

References

  1. ^ a b http://lenta.ru/news/2010/04/10/cause/
  2. ^ http://www.newsru.com/russia/10apr2010/skp.html
  3. ^ http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20100410-0
  4. ^ a b c "Polish President Lech Kaczynski 'in plane crash'". BBC News Online. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  5. ^ a b "Polish president feared dead in plane crash". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  6. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  7. ^ Bloomberg Polish President, Bank Chief in Plane Crash, Reports
  8. ^ [1]
  9. ^ "Polish president feared dead in Russian plane crash". Reuters. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  10. ^ Polish president Lech Kaczynski killed in plane crash
  11. ^ http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Polish-President-Lech-Kaczynski-Killed-When-Plane-Crashed-On-Approach-To-Smolensk-Airport-In-Russia/Article/201004215598482?lpos=World_News_Carousel_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15598482_Polish_President_Lech_Kaczynski_Killed_When_Plane_Crashed_On_Approach_To_Smolensk_Airport_In_Russia
  12. ^ Названа предварительная версия крушения самолета президента Польши
  13. ^ Prezydenckim Tu-154 leciały najważniejsze osoby w państwie (Polish)
  14. ^ Polish president's plane crashes in Russia: ministry
  15. ^ http://kremlin.ru/news/7413
  16. ^ http://kremlin.ru/acts/7414
  17. ^ http://lenta.ru/news/2010/04/10/comission/