Polish crew blamed for Smolensk tragedy

Russia sent Poland the final report on the plane crash tragedy that took place in Smolensk on April 10, 2010 and which killed President Lech Kaczynski and dozens of other Polish officials.

According to the report, whose conclusions were made public by the committee’s president, Tatiana Anodina, on Wednesday, the Polish crew was found responsible for the crash. Although the pilots had been informed about the bad weather conditions, they decided to take the risk and land in Smolensk, ignoring the instructions of the traffic controllers to route the plane to a back-up airport.

One of the main causes that led to the fatal decision was the powerful psychological pressure to which the crew was submitted because of the weather conditions, but also because of the unjustified presence of the Polish air force commander, in whose blood a high concentration of alcohol was found, and also of the Polish Chief of Protocol on the flight deck.

The Interstate Commission delivered a technical report, while the investigation is yet to be completed.

After the results of the Russian investigation were made pubic, the Polish Premiere, Donald Tusk, decided to interrupt his holiday in Italy and return to Warsaw.

He is going to consult the Minister of Internal Affairs, Jerzy Miller, who is also the chief of the Polish commission investigating the accident.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the twin brother of the Polish president and the leader of the opposition in Warsaw, stated that the final report of the investigation carried out by the Russian authorities does not rely on sufficient proofs, is party-minded and he takes it as an insult.

Translated by: Raluca Mizdrea

MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University