Smolensk air disaster
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File:Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash.jpg | |
Accident | |
---|---|
Date | about 10:56 MSK (UTC+4) 10 April 2010[1] |
Summary | pilot error[1] |
Site | Suvorova Street, Severny District[2] 54°49′30″N 032°1′30″E / 54.82500°N 32.02500°E |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Tupolev Tu-154 |
Operator | Polish Air Force |
Flight origin | Frédéric Chopin Airport, Warsaw, Poland |
Destination | Smolensk-North Airport Smolensk, Russia |
Fatalities | 88 (all) [3] |
Injuries | 0 |
Survivors | 0 |
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
According to the flight manifest on board were:[13][14]
- Lech Kaczyński, the President of Poland
- Maria Kaczyńska, the first lady
- Ryszard Kaczorowski, the last President of the Polish government-in-exile
- Jerzy Szmajdziński, Deputy Speaker of the Sejm
- Władysław Stasiak, Chief of the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland
- Aleksander Szczygło, head of the National Security Bureau
- Paweł Wypych, Secretary of State in the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland
- Mariusz Handzlik, Undersecretary of State in the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland
- Andrzej Kremer, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
- General Franciszek Gągor, Chief of the Polish Army General Staff
- Andrzej Przewoźnik, Secretary-General of Rada Ochrony Pamięci Walk i Męczeństwa
- Grzegorz Dolniak, member of the Sejm
- Przemysław Gosiewski, member of the Sejm
- Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka, member of the Sejm
- Aleksandra Natalli-Świat, member of the Sejm
- Jolanta Szymanek-Deresz, member of the Sejm
- Zbigniew Wassermann, member of the Sejm
- Stanisław Zając, member of the Senat
- Janusz Kochanowski, Polish Ombudsman
- Sławomir Skrzypek, President of the National Bank of Poland
- Janusz Kurtyka, Historian and president of the Institute of National Remembrance
- Tadeusz Płoski, Bishop of the Military Ordinariate of the Polish Army
- Piotr Nurowski, President of the Polish Olympic Committee
- Ryszard Rumianek – Rector of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw
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
- ^ a b http://lenta.ru/news/2010/04/10/cause/
- ^ http://www.newsru.com/russia/10apr2010/skp.html
- ^ http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20100410-0
- ^ a b c "Polish President Lech Kaczynski 'in plane crash'". BBC News Online. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
- ^ a b "Polish president feared dead in plane crash". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
- ^ Bloomberg Polish President, Bank Chief in Plane Crash, Reports
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Polish president feared dead in Russian plane crash". Reuters. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
- ^ Polish president Lech Kaczynski killed in plane crash
- ^ 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
- ^ Названа предварительная версия крушения самолета президента Польши
- ^ Prezydenckim Tu-154 leciały najważniejsze osoby w państwie (Polish)
- ^ Polish president's plane crashes in Russia: ministry
- ^ http://kremlin.ru/news/7413
- ^ http://kremlin.ru/acts/7414
- ^ http://lenta.ru/news/2010/04/10/comission/