Smolensk plane crash
Wreckage from the Tu-154 at the crash site
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 10 April 2010 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain, pilot error |
| Site | near Smolensk, Russia 54°49′26.02″N 32°3′4.54″E / 54.8238944°N 32.0512611°ECoordinates: 54°49′26.02″N 32°3′4.54″E / 54.8238944°N 32.0512611°E |
| Passengers | 89 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 96 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Tupolev Tu-154M |
| Operator | 36 SPLT, Polish Air Force |
| Registration | 101 |
| Flight origin |
Frédéric Chopin Airport Warsaw, Poland |
| Destination |
Smolensk North Airport Smolensk, Russia |
On 10 April 2010, a Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft of the Polish Air Force crashed near the city of Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board. Among the victims were the President of Poland Lech Kaczyński and his wife Maria, the former President of Poland in exile Ryszard Kaczorowski, the chief of the Polish General Staff and other senior Polish military officers, the president of the National Bank of Poland, Polish Government officials, 18 members of the Polish Parliament, senior members of the Polish clergy and relatives of victims of the Katyn massacre. The group was arriving from Warsaw to attend an event marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre, which took place not far from Smolensk.
The pilots were attempting to land at Smolensk North Airport – a former military airbase – in thick fog, with visibility reduced to about 500 metres (1,600 ft). The aircraft descended far below the normal approach path until it struck trees, rolled inverted and crashed into the ground, coming to rest in a wooded area a short distance from the runway.
Both the Russian and Polish official investigations found no technical faults with the aircraft, and concluded that the crew failed to conduct the approach in a safe manner in the given weather conditions. The Polish authorities found serious deficiencies in the organization and training of the Air Force unit involved, which was subsequently disbanded. Several high-ranking members of the Polish military resigned, under pressure from politicians and the media.
Various conspiracy theories about the crash have since been in circulation, and are promoted by senior political figures in Poland, who claim the crash was a political assassination. No evidence supporting this version was found in Polish and international investigations.
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Wikipedia