2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash (Smolensk)

Russia / Smolensk / Pechyorsk / Smolensk
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The plane carrying the Polish President Lech Kaczyński, his wife and a great number of officials including ministers and generals, a Tupolev Tu-154M, crashed at 10:41 MSD, (06:41 UTC, 08:41 Warsaw time), near Smolensk, Russia. President Kaczyński was due to visit Smolensk to mark the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.

The flight had departed from Warsaw's Frédéric Chopin Airport and was bound for Smolensk Airport. The aircraft was carrying 88 passengers and 8-member crew.

The crash occurred on the first approach in foggy conditions (500 m visibility without an instrument landing system) about 0.5 km from the runway.

The plane, which was reported to have been flying at a very low altitude, clipped trees and crashed into the ground. Pictures from the scene showed parts of the airplane charred and strewn through a wooded area. Some pieces, including one of the wheel wells, were upside-down.

smolensk.ws/blog/168.html
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Polish_Air_Force_Tu-154_crash
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   54°49'28"N   32°3'42"E

Comments

  • My deepest condolences to polish people
  • RIP