Poland PM: Worst tragedy in country's post-war history
Russian PM Vladimir Putin promises swift probe into crash in which Polish President Lech Kaczynski died.
By News Agencies and Yossi Melman Tags: Russia Israel news PolandPolish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the crash in which the Polish President Lech Kaczynski was killed on Saturday as "the most tragic event of the country's post-war history". Tusk, ashen-faced and wearing a black suit and tie, told a news conference he would fly to the crash site.
The president's wife and several other high-ranking government officials were also aboard the aged Tupolev Tu-154, which plunged into a forest about two km (1.3 miles) from the airport in the western Russian city of Smolensk.
Polish officials told Haaretz that the crash appeared accidental and that so far there was no suspicion of a terror attack.
Following his visit to the crash site, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin promised a swift probe into the cause of the plane crash saying that "we must do everything to help the families and dependants of the victims."
He also held a minute's silence for the victims there.
Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev had earlier appointed the Kremlin chief as head an official commission of inquiry into the crash.
"The bodies of all the victims had now been recovered and would be taken to Moscow," Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu said meanwhile.
The Russian-built Tupolev Tu-154 went down some 1.5km from Smolensk airport in thick fog. The plane reportedly struck trees as it approached the airport and caught fire.
A Polish official said the head of the Polish army and the head of the presidential administration were also on board the plane, along with the central bank governor and other senior officials.
"The plane caught fire after the crash. Teams began attempting to pull out passengers from the badly damaged airplane," said a Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman in Warsaw.
Pilot error was a possible reason for the crash, a spokesman for the Smolensk local government said.
"The pilot was advised to land in Minsk, but decided to land in Smolensk," said the spokesman, Andrei Yevseyenkov.
The pilot was reportedly making his fourth attempt to land when the plane crashed.
But the Tu-154 also has a questionable safety record. The presidential plane was at least 20 years old. Polish officials have long discussed replacing the planes that carry the country's leaders but said they lacked the funds.
According to the Aviation Safety Network, there have been 66 crashes involving Tu-154s, including six in the past five years. The Russian carrier Aeroflot recently withdrew its Tu-154 fleet from service.
Polish sources told Haaretz that despite a recent upgrade, the Smolensk airport was not fitted with special anti-fog radar common in the West.
Kaczynski was due to visit Smolensk to mark the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre, where Soviet troops killed 22,000 Poles. Planned ceremonies in Katyn were called off and attendees said they would instead pray for the victims of the plane crash.
Thousands of mourners flocked to the presidential palace in Warsaw and to churches across this staunchly Roman Catholic nation to lay flowers, light candles, sing hymns and pray. The deaths of Kaczynski, many of his aides and several opposition lawmakers is a heavy blow to Poland's body politic, but analysts said they saw no threat to stability in the NATO ally and EU member state and the crash further bolsters Tusk's domination of the political scene.
"Today in the face of such a drama our nation stays united. There is no division into left and right, differences of views don't matter. We are together in the face of this tragedy," parliamentary speaker and now Poland's acting president, Bronislaw Komorowski, said in a televised address to the nation.
Komorowski said he would set the date of a presidential election which had been due in October after holding talks with Poland's political parties. Under the constitution the election must now be held by late June.
Komorowski is the presidential candidate of Tusk's ruling pro-business, pro-euro Civic Platform (PO). Opinion polls suggest he would have defeated Kaczynski in the election.
Komorovski had already been named as a candidate to succeed Kaczynski following elections later in 2010, which now look likely to be brought forward.
Kaczynski, 60, became president in December 2005 after defeating current Prime Minister Donald Tusk in that year's presidential vote. The nationalist conservative was the twin brother of Poland's opposition leader, former prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski
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Polish President Lech Kaczynski. |
| Photo by: (Reuters) |
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it's hard time for all Poles. thank you for all condolences. i am asking you to pray for my country.
My condolences to the people in Poland.That the bigeest lost for Nation afther W/W/2 VICHNAYA PAMYAT VSIM ZAHYBLYM. rgb
Instead of unimpressing me with your aviation knowledge, you may start to *admit* that you only have your information from Russian state-controlled media. You may start to admit that it was curious for Russian state-controlled media (i.e. Putin-controlled media) to publish a pilot's failure as 'the cause of the accident', while at the same time Putin was being installed as head of the commission who *will investigate* the cause of this accident. You may start to show discomfort at the fact that other journalists in the Smolensk area, who hastened to the place of disaster, were forced by violence to hand over their photo's, film's and interviews to the Russian state. Even people with great aviation knowledge cannot allow themselves to be naïve. I reckon that there is a large possibility that it was indeed the pilot's fault. Yet it is the Russian officials who have given cause to distrust them forever and ever.
#39 I don't blame 'the Russians' meaning the Russian people. Heck, I didn't blame anyone. I merely stated that as long there is some uncertainty about the cause of this accident, Poles will suspect the involvment of Russian Putin Party officials. Poles have many reasons to distrust Russian officials. Did you notice how Russian state media, governed by Putin, already put out 'news' that it was the pilot's mistake, at the same time as this Putin was installed as head of the commission that will investigate the causes? It appears that this commission has its conclusions ready at hand.
składam hold i uczucie żalu i smutku dla rodzin i całego narodu Polskiego. My respect and sorrow for the President's family and all the families of the heroes that lost they life in such tragic circumstances and whole Polish nation, my broken hart is with you!
Two days ago Obama and Medvedev signed a nucleer deal. Who knoiws what Obama gave in and what Russia wanted? May be the former Eastern Iron Curtain may be back! This is suspicious! I bet this must have been part of the deal! Obama reminds me Gorbachev! Gorbachev was a US spy and collapesed the USSR. allthis must be seriously focused on and realted to Obama in order israel to survive in the Middle East!
This is so horrible. And during the time to commemorate the heinous slaughter of the Polish officers in Katyn. Wieczny odpoczynek racz Im dać Panie... May they rest in peace....
This was a huge tragedy for your nation. The first impulse of a flyer is to want to know exactly what happened and how. This does not mean we have not had friends who had their lives prematurely and tragically ended. Rather it is because of that and the desire to see it never, ever, happen again. Poland has lost many of it's leading citizens and nothing can ever change that. My regrets.
I really appreciate your support and condolences - Thank You Jewish friends! This horrible plane crash has been hapened equel 70 years after Katyń masacre, where also were killed 900 polish-jewish people. We keep their in our mind.( http://www.fzp.net.pl/historia49.html ) Shalom Aleichem Chawerim!
In a civil plane, the captain pilot commands and is in charge of all actions. He can even overrule orders from the airline if its about safety. But Poland's Air force 1 is a military plane, the pilot as a soldier has to follow the commands. The highest ranking commander involved was the military head of Poland. If he gives order to try landing in Smolensk, this is a military order to a soldier who has to obey it. Well, the military head of the polish forces of course is the president. He had already brought another pilot to court for not obeying his orders for the destination in 2008. So please, don't blame the pilot, you can only blame him for following silly orders from his highest ranking commander. He tried 4 times to obey the order. A civilian captain pilot would not have made a single approach if the tower advises to go to another airport. Despite the mourners about the death of the Polish President: everything happened on his orders, he was the highest ranking commander!
The takeover of Poland by the Soviets AFTER the war and the ethnic cleansing of eastern Poland by the Soviets AFTER the war were worse tragedies. The Kielce pogrom of 1946 was probably worse too.
Part of Poland's elite was wiped out in Russia...while en route to a remembrance of just such an episode in Russia 70 years ago. History seems to teach us that wiping out the elite is a tried method to gain control over a country.
The web is wild with conspiracy theories folks. It always is. The Soviet Union was a black hole for accident information. Russia isn't. The Safety Data and Analysis Department: 7 Krjijanovsky Street Building 1 Moscow 117875 Russia Phone: 125 14 78 Has become an effective organization for investigating airline accidents. While not as recognized as the US NTSB, the British Air Accidents Investigation Branch, or the French BEA, it is credible.
One is shooting an ILS approach at an unfamiliar airport. A non-directional beacon and ILS approach in Heavy Fog. One runway with a 60 degree six-knot crosswind, about a 3-4 knot crosswind component. Arriving at minimum altitude configured for descent a missed approach is called. This means the crew is busy configuring the airplane for a climb and the pilot flying has to transition from descent to a climb without establishing too high of an angle of attack OR loosing much altitude. There is a moment of time where ANY little problem can cause a fatal error, or prevent a successful missed approach. We do not know what the investigation will show. But the least likely thing I can imagine is a "conspiracy so vast." It was a high-pucker factor approach. Got it?
RE:Too early to be certain but this looks like a bad case of `got-to-get-there-itis.` this is what french TV seems to be reporting. Tower asked the pilots to divert to Minsk or Moscow. Even when the plane was attempting to land the tower was telling the plane not to.
Most probably Kazczynski pressed for the landing in Smolensk. He had punished a pilot earlier, which in a similiar situation dared to land an other airport. see - http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flugzeugabsturz_bei_Smolensk (sorry, not in the english wiki article) So it seems clear that Mr. President K. just wanted to land on the military airport in Smolensk, regardless of the bad weather conditions. PM Putin has the job to tell Poland that this time their elite died because of the ignorance of their president.
You said: "this tragic accident will forever be considered by Poles as a likely assault by the Kremlin." I hope it doesn't happen. I can be as paranoiac about Russians as any Pole, but I don't think we should blame them for something if there is no shadow of evidence. It may only undermine us, like the boy who cried wolf too much. Their reaction so far is generous and we should appreciate that.
thank you all the friens from Israel for words of sympathy. we lost a 'head' of our nation. again...
who were on the plane . My heartfelt condolences to all Poland. You can see what is opinion of Israel/Jews .... It is very very sad day for all of us.
Russians up to their Cold War Era mischief again now that they have realized Obama is as weak and naive as Carter was. Just the beginning of the punishments in store for former Warsaw Pact nations who have been seeking NATO and US protection. Now that the nuclear umbrella has been blown inside-out by Obama's unilateral disarmament for the USA while Russia laughs look for a new spirit of adventurism to embolden the Kremlin. The containment tables will be turned as Russia builds alliances in Central and South America, drills for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, and militarizes the North polar regions. Ronald Reagan defeated the Soviets by bankrupting them, Obama has now done the same to the USA with health care reform. America withdraws from the world stage and leaves its former friend Israel to be feasted upon by an Arab League armed to the teeth and ready to finish the job they began in 1948.
I appreciate your referring to the so-called Bijlmer disaster. One of the good things that happened was that fairly no Dutch blamed or accused El Al or used it to attack Israel. The Surinam people who were the majority of the inhabitants of the flats that had been hit did their best to get the exact location where the Israeli crew died on the ground and marked it in the correct way. It was for the family that was coming from Israel so they could say farewell the Jewish way. Regards.
Poland air crash. a) Was any foul play involved ? b) Was the pilot drinking too much before taking off, (Like Diana's driver ?) c)Stubborness,coupled with fog is a sure perscription for disaster.
Poland lost not only it's president, but a large part of it's elite in government, defense, journalism and other areas. It is a dark day for Poland and for the whole EU. But the Polish are a great and strong people and they will overcome it. For the good of Poland and thus also for the good of the EU.
I have been watching reports on the BBC and France 24 and they do not get it . They do not understand the magnitude of this tragedy. Yes, the BBC does mention Katyn and so does France 24 but France 24 says 'to commemorate the soldiers who died ...' Died? They were murdered in cold blood, one by one. You can see the difference only when Poles are interviewed. Some do not even mention the President ... they all put the emphasis on Katyn.
Ahmed, take a room.
Condelences to the polish people for this tragedy.May the victims rest in peace.
I concur. This is an aviation accident not a political event. It is unfortunate that a tragedy is being twisted by several people on this forum. I remember too well when an El Al 747 cargo flight suffered a fatigue failure of the inboard midspar fues pin causing the no. 3 engine to separate, striking the no. 4 engine, causing it to separate. The loss of 50% power, leading edge damage and loss of systems left the crew will little control and they ended up in an Amsterdam suburb. Tragic, having nothing to do with the crew, or the owner, or their nationality. Still there were those who leapt to blame El Al, the crew, Israel, and propose all sorts of conspiracy theories. The ultimate cause was inadequate design and certification of the B747 pylon design coupled with an inadequate system of inspections. Big lessons were learned, but none of them had to do with politics.
Thank you for all the words of condoleance. I should be learning all Saturday for anatomy classes but I can't. I just can't. It is a horrible tragedy, the most glorious and representative people of Polish politics, culture, history died in a plane crash while travelling to a place where 70 years ago the Russians killed Poles and also polish Jews that were at that time considered a threat - doctors, lawyers, politics. May God be with us. Thank you Israel again for words of condoleance.
The aircraft had been advised to divert to Moscow but the crew elected to attempt an instrument approach. The aircraft was executing a go-around following a missed ILS approach. A bad day for all.
The Tu-154M does not have a bad safety record. Older Tu-154s have a less than admirable record but that largely is a result of who is flying them and where. http://aviation-safety.net/database/dblist.php?field=typecode&var=475%&cat=%1&sorteer=datekey&page=1 This particular incident is covered http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20100410-0 The weather report gives the wind direction as 140 degrees at 6 knots. The runway is 08/26, so there was a crosswind component with heavy fog. The runway is 1,600 meters long, with short overruns. Looking at the overhead photos, it appears that the approaches have been cleared of trees, but there are trees off to the sides of the approaches. Too early to be certain but this looks like a bad case of 'got-to-get-there-itis.'
to stereotype and attack those you apparently do not like. Well, it tells me something about you.
The Dubai chief of Police already solved the investigation : he reckons either the KGB or Mossad did it. Gordon Brown is thinking about closing the Russian Embassy but is hesitant days before the elections as many UK communists vote for him....what to do ? Then, great illumination blown from friend Hussain Obama secretly advising him to copy Erdogan of Turkey and getting upset with Israeli funny games....what to do ? So King Abdulah put on more pressure, he said if only the Israelis would give a state to Palestinians he could finally start sleeping properly, something he couldn't do since his dad pased away (Allah give him grace)....as the palestinians could easily take over Jordan but they would prefer Israel (it's on the Mediterranean you see, Fatah's preferred choice as against Hamas' Gaza Mediteranean...what to do ? Putin is so upset , he sacked Medvedev, sent him to hell in Iran, which upset Ahmadinedjad so much that he threatened the world to become friendly with Israel...
this Polish leader never bowed to the Russians and desperately sought a missle defense shield which Obama betrayed...I will never believe the weather dropped this plane...also he was going to attend a ceremony where thousands of Polish troops were massacred by...not the nazis...but the Russians just before WWII. I smell a rat and it points to russia...as usual.
"Believe it or not, Tu-154 has one of the best safety records in its kind of aircraft" Tu-154 has a fatal accident rate more than 6 times higher than Boeing 737. In fact, Tu-154 has one of the WORST safety records for its kind of aircraft. Here are the exact numbers: The Tu-154 has a fatal accident every 431,200 flights, according to London-based aviation consultant Ascend. The Boeing 737, the world?s best-selling passenger plane, crashes every 2.68 million flights. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/poland/7574396/Polish-president-plane-crash-the-plane.html
Mark Lincoln, aerospace expert extraordinaire, will soon be here to tell us the length, width, height, speed, wingloading, center of gravity, altitude limit, pressure differentials, etc. of the airplane, as if anyone here gives a hoot. But it makes him feel good about himself, since Jew-hating alone doesn't quite cut it for him. And after he dazzles us with all of the technical data, obtained from his copy of "Janes All the World's Aircraft", he will give us the REAL facts which will likely be inflammatory against the pilots, air traffic controllers, engine & airplane manufacturers, and, or course, ISRAEL!
Pilot error, without a doubt. Imagine 4 approaches in thick fog. Unbelievable. The TU-154 is still a workhorse. So many hundreds still fly. Though unfitting for a President. Condolences to the wonderful people of Poland,for you have lost a great leader. My condolences to the families. Good day.
Just to be precise: the Katyn massacre was a planned mass killing of 22 000 Polish officers in Soviet custody in 1940, at the time when Soviets were still in alliance with Nazi Germany.
Don't hasten to conclusions. There is sufficient reason to at least *suspect* an assault by the Kremlin. Relations between Kaczynski and the Russians were very bad, since Kaczynski is the one to 'blame' for US missiles on Polish territory, a fact that angered Putin. Russians have all possibilities for a cover-up. The plane crashed on Russian soil, led by Russian airport commanders, the plane was 'checked' three months ago by Russian technicians, and now the remains of the plane will be 'recovered' by Russian technicians, and investigated by a Russian team led by... Putin. No matter whether any real cause will be established, this tragic accident will forever be considered by Poles as a likely assault by the Kremlin.
thi is an enormous tragedy for families of the victims
I do not know where you got your information from,but that type of aircraft since going into service has had 66 crashes,six in the last 5 years,not exactly the safest plane.
Poland has 38 million people and one President. Yet they allow their President to fly in a 20-year old Russian plane because they claim that they don't have the funds to replace it. It is a question of priorities and how odd that the Polish people should place such a low value on the safety of their President. I am truly sorry for them but this is an accident that could have been avoided.
Condolences to the polish people.May the victims rest in peace.
Thank you all for your condolences...
There is a lot of misinformation about safety records of the Tu-154, it's very easy to say "It's russian so it's unsafe". Believe it or not, Tu-154 has one of the best safety records in its kind of aircraft. check this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2081143.stm This accident was clearly a human error, caused by heavy fog. Smolensk ATC told the pilots to go to alternate airport, but they pressed on. Anyway, condolences to all victims.
The leftists in EU take syria's side and want to punish israel. The leftists in eu want to boycott israel colleges and musicians and trade. He was a great friend of israel and the left in israel loves to kiss up to leftists in europe who can't stand israel. This man was a real friend of israel and was leading a revivial of anti leftists in europe. Very sad day.
The leftists in the EU didn't like him and the Kremlin didn't like him. The kremlin loves the syrians and gives them rockets has bases on the coast and listening posts in syria. He also saw the rise of the leftists in europe and their policies against israel and their EU policies.
I send a big hug and lots of tears for the Polish People.
http://www.polskieradio.pl/wiadomosci/kraj/artykul153440.html
No words to describe what I feel. As well as many Poles. 130 people died. The President, his wife an many many others. Thank you all for your condolences
4 misapproaches (attempts to land due to fog), Serbian TV as well as the BBC confirm that the aircraft was instructed to divert to Moscow due to poor visibility but that the pilot elected to go ahead and attempt to land. The spokeperson for Polish Foreign Affair Ministy has just confIrmed that there were 88 names on the passenger's list. Original list was 89, one person confirmed not appearing on time. www.pprune.org www.airliners.net
May they all rest in peace...I feel sad for the grieving relatives.
http://s.tf1.fr/mmdia/i/10/4/l-avion-du-president-polonais-qui-s-est-ecrase-en-russie-le-10-avril-4396104pdtcp_1713.jpg?v=1 132 dead confirmed now (?) landing in heavy fog, touched tree, plane on fire, hit runway burning. the visibility was extremely limited to 100-150 meters (?)
My condolences to the people in Poland.
A sad day for Poland,what I cannot understand is how they can use a Tupolev 154 to carry such an important person as the President,that plane was Soviet era and was at least 30 years old.