Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Pilots Blamed for Russian Plane Crash

Russians: Pilots ignored fog warnings

By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 12, 2010 1:22 AM CDT

(Newser) – Error by Polish pilots likely caused the Russian plane crash that killed Poland's president, his wife, and 94 others, according to Russian officials. Investigators have ruled out any technical flaws in the Russian-made plane and blamed pilots for ignoring control tower warnings not to land in heavy fog. "The recordings that we have confirm that there were no technical problems with the plane," said the chief Russian investigator. The pilots, members of the Polish air force, were "informed about complex weather conditions but nevertheless made a decision to land."

Probers are continuing to sift through wreckage of the plane as the investigation continues into the crash that also claimed the lives of Poland's army and navy chief and the head of the Polish central bank. Observers were questioning why so many highly ranked officials were allowed to travel on the Tu-154 plane, a type of aircraft involved in 66 crashes in the last decade, reports the Telegraph. Poland had not retired the presidential plane because of cost, and instead recently overhauled the aircraft. Mounting conspiracy theories in the blogosphere are linking the crash to the Russians.

Artist Kiki Garber works on completing a portrait of Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, Maria, in her apartment in Brooklyn yesterday.
Artist Kiki Garber works on completing a portrait of Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, Maria, in her apartment in Brooklyn yesterday.   (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)
Kristina Buchzynska tends to a shrine to victims of the plane crash including Polish President Lech Kaczynski outside the Polish Consulate in Toronto yesterday.
Kristina Buchzynska tends to a shrine to victims of the plane crash including Polish President Lech Kaczynski outside the Polish Consulate in Toronto yesterday.   (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)
A soldier stands guard near a sea of candles at the President Palace in Warsaw two days after Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife died in a plane crash in heavy fog in western Russia.
A soldier stands guard near a sea of candles at the President Palace in Warsaw two days after Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife died in a plane crash in heavy fog in western Russia.   (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
20%
10%
50%
0%
10%
10%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 9 comments
lexpert
Apr 13, 2010 6:58 PM CDT
1. Why haven't we heard the actual commands by the control tower as we always do in plane crashes (and was it in Russian, Polish or English?)
2. And if there were commands not to land, did the pilot HEAR them; was there an acknowledement, eg("Copy that" etc). and are there rules about pilot acknowledging commands to make sure there is no misunderstanding? (If not, that should be a standard rule in the industry).
ende
Apr 12, 2010 9:02 PM CDT
The FSB (KGB successor) has [attempted] assassinated anti-Kremlin opponents before, including former Ukrainian President Victor Yushenko. Kaczynski was a staunch opponent of the Kremlin. The Kremlin has been asserting its influence lately, starting with the Georgian invasion, the election of pro-Russian Yanukovich in Ukraine, marginalizing the Nabucco pipeline, and most recently overthrowing kyrgyzstan's government (which hosts a US base in the heart of former Russian sphere of influence).

If you want a conspiracy theory, start there. Frankly, I don't really think it's that implausible.
uuluatu
Apr 12, 2010 8:30 AM CDT
Your reporting on the Polish President plane crush is the worst I ever saw. It is not "evidence points to pilot error" but Russian propaganda points to pilot error. A plane with Polish journalists landed 40 minutes earlier without incident. Pilot of the Presidential plane tried to land the first time fine but the Russian controllers would not let him. They kept sending him to Moscow or Minsk hundreds of miles away so the Katyn commemoration would be cancelled. There are fully functioning airports a short distance in Smolensk and Witebsk. This military airport has radar but for the Polish visit it was "in repair." The plane was flying at the 45 degree angle, so there was a mechanical problem with steering. After crush, Russian secret police confiscated photographs and video from Polish journalists. Information emanating from Russian government spokesman are untrue.

Do some investigating and read Polish accounts of this crush.

 
Poland • plane crash • Lech Kaczynski • Warsaw • fog • Polish president plane crash • Russian plane crash • pilot error

 
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne