Tadeusz Wrona (aviator)
Tadeusz Wrona | |
---|---|
Born | Żywiec, Poland | April 16, 1954
Nationality | Polish |
Known for | Captain of LOT Polish Airlines Flight 16, which he successfully performed a belly landing of a Boeing 767 at the Chopin Airport in Warsaw, Poland. |
Spouse | Marzena Wrona |
Children | Natalia Wrona, Mikołaj Wrona |
Awards | Order of Polonia Restituta (Officer's Cross), FAI Gliding Commission diamond badge |
Aviation career | |
Full name | Tadeusz Wrona |
Famous flights | LOT Polish Airlines Flight 16 |
Tadeusz Wrona (born April 16, 1954[1][2] in Żywiec[3]) is a Polish pilot who successfully performed a belly landing of a Boeing 767 during LOT Polish Airlines Flight 16 at the Chopin Airport in Warsaw on November 1, 2011. None of the 231 passengers and crew was injured.[4]
Award
On November 7, 2011, Wrona was awarded the Order of Polonia Restituta, Officer's Cross, one of Poland's highest decorations. His co-pilot, Jerzy Szwarc, was awarded the Order of Polonia Restituta, Knight's Cross.[5] The following week, Wrona was greeted as a hero when he visited a Polish and Slavic center in Brooklyn, New York.[6]
LOT Polish Airlines Flight 16
A video of the landing was recorded and widely broadcast in the international media.[7] Wrona was described as a hero in Polish and International media[8][9] and by the Polish president Bronislaw Komorowski.[10] Komorowski spoke to Wrona shortly after the incident, and announced that state decorations were to be given out to Wrona and the rest of the flight crew.[10] In subsequent interviews Wrona downplayed his role in the event.[11] After the event internet fan websites, including Facebook, were established to celebrate his accomplishment, many of which included a pun on his name, "Fly like an eagle, land like a Crow" ("wrona", pronounced "vro-nah", means "crow" in Polish).[11]
He was compared to Chesley Sullenberger who successfully ditched US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, also without any serious injuries.[11][12] Sullenberger himself, in a CNN interview, congratulated Wrona and stated that this might have been the first emergency landing of its kind.[12]
Personal life
Wrona also holds a diamond badge for gliding awarded by the Aeroklub Ziemi Lubuskiej (Lubusz Land Air Club).[13] He is married to Marzena Wrona. They have two children; a daughter, Natalia Wrona, who is a five-time champion of Poland in eventing, in the junior category, and a son Mikołaj, who is a civilian pilot like his father.[14]
References
- ^ "U C H W A Ł A Nr XII/183/2011 Rady Miejskiej Leszna z dnia 8 listopada 2011 roku w sprawie nadania "Honorowego Obywatelstwa Miasta Leszna" Panu Tadeuszowi Wronie" (in Polish). bip.leszno.pl. 2012-01-28. Archived from the original on 2012-06-29. Retrieved 2011-11-10.
- ^ Joanna Paczkowska (14 December 2011). "Kapitan Tadeusz Wrona wyróżniony tytułem Honorowego Obywatela Województwa Lubuskiego" (in Polish). naszemiasto.pl. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
- ^ "ZIELONA GÓRA: Tadeusz Wrona uratował 230 osób. U nas uczył się latać - 2 listopada 2011". Gazetalubuska.pl. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
- ^ "Awaryjne lądowanie na Okęciu. Nie ma rannych - Onet Wiadomości". Wiadomosci.onet.pl. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
- ^ "LOT 767 hero receives honours from President Komorowski". Polskie Radio. November 7, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
- ^ Katie Nelson and Corky Siemaszko, B'klyn cheers miracle-landing Polish pilot, New York Daily News, November 16, 2011
- ^ "BBC News - Plane carrying 230 passengers crash lands in Warsaw". Bbc.co.uk. 2011-11-01. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
- ^ "Hero LOT Pilot Tadeusz Wrona Speaks About Safe Emergency Landing « CBS New York". Newyork.cbslocal.com. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
- ^ "Pilot z Leszna okrzyknięty bohaterem". Poznan.gazeta.pl. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
- ^ a b IT Gratka Sp. z o.o. (2011-11-01). "Prezydent gratuluje pilotom Boeinga: "Te zdjęcia obiegną świat" - Wiadomości24". Wiadomosci24.pl. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
- ^ a b c "Hero Polish pilot says he feared his packed plane would break up when he crash-landed in Warsaw". New York: NY Daily News. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
- ^ a b "Wylądował na rzece. Teraz gratuluje kpt. Wronie - Onet Wiadomości". Wiadomosci.onet.pl. Archived from the original on 2011-11-04. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
- ^ "KAPITAN TADEUSZ WRONA. Kim jest bohaterski pilot? [WIDEO] - 1 listopada 2011". Wspolczesna.pl. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
- ^ "Kapitan Tadeusz Wrona z rodziną w DDTVN!". Gorące tematy. TVN. November 3, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2011.