Human error blamed for Polish tragedy
Source: Agencies |
April 13, 2010, Tuesday
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RUSSIAN investigators suggested human error may have been to blame in the air crash that killed the Polish president and 95 others, saying yesterday there were no technical problems with the jet.
The Tu-154 went down while trying to land on Saturday in dense fog near the Smolensk airport in western Russia. All aboard were killed, including President Lech Kaczynski and dozens of Polish political, military and religious leaders.
They had been traveling in the Polish government-owned jet to attend a memorial at nearby Katyn forest honoring thousands of Polish military officers who were executed 70 years ago by Josef Stalin's secret police.
The pilot had been warned of bad weather in Smolensk, and was advised by traffic controllers to land elsewhere, which would have delayed the Katyn observances.
The pilot was identified as Captain Arkadiusz Protasiuk, 36, and the co-pilot as Major Robert Grzywna, 36. Also on the cockpit crew were Ensign Andrzej Michalak, 36, and Lieutenant Artur Zietek, 31.
In Warsaw, there was concern that the pilots may have been asked by someone in the plane to land at the Smolensk airport instead of diverting to Minsk or Moscow.
Polish Prosecutor General Andrzej Seremet said Polish investigators talked to the flight controller and flight supervisor and "the tower was advising against the landing."
Polish investigators have not yet listened to the cockpit conversations recorded on the black boxes, but will, to see if there were "any suggestions made to the pilots" from other people aboard the plane.
In remarks shown on Russian television, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov told a government meeting including President Dmitry Medvedev that the data recorders on the plane were "completely functional," which will allow a detailed analysis.
"It is reliably confirmed that warning of the unfavorable weather conditions at the north airport and recommendations to go to a reserve airport were not only transmitted but received by the crew of the plane," he said.
Russian investigators had almost finished reading the flight recorders, said Alexander Bastrykin, Russia's chief investigator.
"The readings confirm that there were no problems with the plane, and that the pilot was informed about the difficult weather conditions, but nevertheless decided to land," Bastrykin told Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Smolensk.
The wreckage will remain on site for some days to help speed the investigation.
Russia and Ukraine declared a day of mourning yesterday as Poles struggled to come to terms with the tragedy.
Forensics experts from Poland and Russia were working to identify other bodies, including the first lady, using DNA testing in many cases.
Jacek Sasin, a spokesman for the Presidential Palace, said the bodies of the first couple would lie in state at the palace from today in closed coffins and the public would be permitted to view them.
Sasin said officials were planning a Saturday funeral but a final decision depended on when the bodies of all 96 victims returned home.
Medvedev wants to attend, according to Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski.
Also aboard the plane were the national bank president, the deputy foreign minister, the army chaplain, the head of the National Security Office, the deputy parliamentary speaker, at least two presidential aides and 17 lawmakers.
Acting President Bronislaw Komorowski said he was moving to fill the seats in parliament left empty because of the plane crash.
The Tu-154 went down while trying to land on Saturday in dense fog near the Smolensk airport in western Russia. All aboard were killed, including President Lech Kaczynski and dozens of Polish political, military and religious leaders.
They had been traveling in the Polish government-owned jet to attend a memorial at nearby Katyn forest honoring thousands of Polish military officers who were executed 70 years ago by Josef Stalin's secret police.
The pilot had been warned of bad weather in Smolensk, and was advised by traffic controllers to land elsewhere, which would have delayed the Katyn observances.
The pilot was identified as Captain Arkadiusz Protasiuk, 36, and the co-pilot as Major Robert Grzywna, 36. Also on the cockpit crew were Ensign Andrzej Michalak, 36, and Lieutenant Artur Zietek, 31.
In Warsaw, there was concern that the pilots may have been asked by someone in the plane to land at the Smolensk airport instead of diverting to Minsk or Moscow.
Polish Prosecutor General Andrzej Seremet said Polish investigators talked to the flight controller and flight supervisor and "the tower was advising against the landing."
Polish investigators have not yet listened to the cockpit conversations recorded on the black boxes, but will, to see if there were "any suggestions made to the pilots" from other people aboard the plane.
In remarks shown on Russian television, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov told a government meeting including President Dmitry Medvedev that the data recorders on the plane were "completely functional," which will allow a detailed analysis.
"It is reliably confirmed that warning of the unfavorable weather conditions at the north airport and recommendations to go to a reserve airport were not only transmitted but received by the crew of the plane," he said.
Russian investigators had almost finished reading the flight recorders, said Alexander Bastrykin, Russia's chief investigator.
"The readings confirm that there were no problems with the plane, and that the pilot was informed about the difficult weather conditions, but nevertheless decided to land," Bastrykin told Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Smolensk.
The wreckage will remain on site for some days to help speed the investigation.
Russia and Ukraine declared a day of mourning yesterday as Poles struggled to come to terms with the tragedy.
Forensics experts from Poland and Russia were working to identify other bodies, including the first lady, using DNA testing in many cases.
Jacek Sasin, a spokesman for the Presidential Palace, said the bodies of the first couple would lie in state at the palace from today in closed coffins and the public would be permitted to view them.
Sasin said officials were planning a Saturday funeral but a final decision depended on when the bodies of all 96 victims returned home.
Medvedev wants to attend, according to Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski.
Also aboard the plane were the national bank president, the deputy foreign minister, the army chaplain, the head of the National Security Office, the deputy parliamentary speaker, at least two presidential aides and 17 lawmakers.
Acting President Bronislaw Komorowski said he was moving to fill the seats in parliament left empty because of the plane crash.
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