Polish President Dies in Plane Crash
Via Hot Air, the crash also killed several other top Polish officials:
Polish President Lech Kaczynski was killed early Saturday along with his wife, several top military officials, and the head of the national bank when their plane crashed at a western Russian airport, officials said.
“There are no survivors,” said Sergey Antufyev, the governor of Smolensk, where the plane was trying to land when it crashed. Russian emergency officials said 97 people died. Kaczynski was 60.
It’s a significant loss. As Ed Morrissey says: “The West has lost a good friend this morning.”
What I’m unclear on is why the pilot made a 3rd attempt through heavy fog to land – most commercial aircraft here forget about it after one or two tries, at the most.
Dmac (21311c) — 4/10/2010 @ 12:02 pmKInd of significant that the trip was to remember the Katyn Forest massacre.
Mike K (2cf494) — 4/10/2010 @ 12:29 pmwell, we have the Russian’s word for it this is what happened…. especially the part about the A/C “breaking up” on the “4th” approach, and that they were notified about the fog and chose not to wave off.
at least with Putin in charge of the investigation, we are assured that the truth will come out.
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 4/10/2010 @ 12:37 pmWhat a terrible tragedy. Ironic that Putin heads the investigation.
Reflecting the grave sensibilities of the crash to relations between the two countries, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin personally assumed charge of the investigation. He landed in Smolensk Saturday with an entourage of Russian officials to meet Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who was flying in from Warsaw.
Dana (1e5ad4) — 4/10/2010 @ 12:41 pmThere’s something happening here. What it is ain’t exactly clear…
Jeff Barea (eff5e1) — 4/10/2010 @ 12:44 pmat least with Putin in charge of the investigation, we are assured that the truth will come out.
How many articles will point out that Putin’s own sordid history indicates he’s capable of ordering such an event and making it look like an accident?
Not the LA Times, it appears. Such talk is just “conspiracy theory”:
The historic freight of the crash was so eerie that it seemed destined for conspiracy theory. Russian officials were careful to vow in the earliest hours to closely involve Poland in the investigation.
Brother Bradley J. Fikes (9eb641) — 4/10/2010 @ 1:06 pmThe former President of the Ukraine has some questions as well, Bradley.
Dmac (21311c) — 4/10/2010 @ 2:05 pm[…] Patterico’s Pontifications: Polish President Dies in Plane Crash: It’s a significant loss. As Ed Morrissey says: “The West has lost a good friend this […]
Devastating News: Poland’s President Lech Kaczynski Dies in Plane Crash, 96 Killed — Update: Some Sources Say 132 Dead (video) « Frugal Café Blog Zone (a66042) — 4/10/2010 @ 2:17 pmThe UK Guardian reported:
“The pilot made three unsuccessful attempts to land before the crash. On the fourth try, the plane fell apart, Interfax said, citing officials at Smolensk’s interior ministry.”
Does anything about that bother anyone but me? The plane “fell apart” as it was trying to land? Also, one report stated that the plane hit trees as it tried to land, but if you look at the photos of the wreck, the trees in that area are sparse.
Why would an experienced pilot, that surely was flying that plane with all those dignataries on it, insist on landing at an airport the Russians had advised was closed due to fog? Why would he not land at Minsk, where the Russians told him to?
Planes do not just start “falling apart”. And the fact that Putin, former head of the KGB, jumped on this so quickly, surely must give every pause.
Will American air safety experts be allowed to participate on the investigation? The Russians claim they have the “black box” from the plane. Will the information from the black box be made public?
Somehow this whole story smells like a feed lot.
retire05 (2abfb2) — 4/10/2010 @ 2:22 pmor, to use a different simile, “This whole story is as believable as an Obama promise.” 😀
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 4/10/2010 @ 2:30 pmThis plot seems far fetched in that the next election in Poland is likely to bring candidates even more anti-Russian.
Alta Bob (e8af2b) — 4/10/2010 @ 3:00 pmWas Anne’s husband on board?
happyfeet (c8caab) — 4/10/2010 @ 3:02 pmWhat a tragedy for the Polish people.
JEA (b0e42f) — 4/10/2010 @ 4:01 pmThis is way too convenient for the Russians.
DRJ (daa62a) — 4/10/2010 @ 4:11 pmConvenient and riskless.
happyfeet (c8caab) — 4/10/2010 @ 4:13 pmConvenient and riskless. Afterall… what will Obama do? Why he’ll sit right down and right the Russkies a letter, telling them just how mad he is.
Perhaps even threaten them with the threat of a threat to threaten them with some sanctions.
GeneralMalaise (268cf5) — 4/10/2010 @ 4:43 pmAircraft do have a bad habit of coming apart when an IR-guided missile flies up the exhaust pipe.
AD - RtR/OS! (c8e2b4) — 4/10/2010 @ 6:54 pmRoman Polanski, reached on top of an underage Swiss miss, was reportedly devastated upon hearing the news.
daleyrocks (1feed5) — 4/10/2010 @ 7:00 pmThat was pretty cold, feets, no Mr. Sikorski did not take the flight
ian cormac (3e0a07) — 4/10/2010 @ 7:43 pmMakes one appreciate that the POTUS has AF1 for his travels.
MU789 (00e597) — 4/10/2010 @ 8:21 pmThat wasn’t meant to be cold it was a for reals question.
happyfeet (c8caab) — 4/10/2010 @ 8:25 pmMy deep condolences to the Polish people for this horrific loss. And for it to occur on the 70 Anniversary of the Katyn Forest massacre is beyond belief. One can’t help but wonder about a Russian helping hand in this disaster and overall this was a banner weak for Russian hegemony and superiority. They got our weak kneed Pres. to sign a treaty that wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on and in exchange got less than nothing from the Russians-not even on Iran (Russia said the treaty means nothing and Iran had nothing to fear from new sanctions, if they ever come). Kyrgyzstan is now a Russian dominated satellite and the US military base may soon be closed, with Obama not saying a word about the coup (funny how the democratic ousting of Honduran dictator Zelaya received more stern comments and actions from Obama that this coup. It pays to be on the side of insurrectionist lefties in Obamaworld).
eaglewingz08 (326e65) — 4/10/2010 @ 8:36 pmThe third trifecta was the death (murder?) of the Polish elite. Why they all chose to board one plane is a mystery I will never understand. No Fortune 500 company would send all its top execs on one plane and no rational western country would send all its elite on one plane, yet Poland chose to do so with unspeakable results.
This is a true loss to the freedom fighters in the West, a true friend of the US and Israel, and the world mourns with Poland.
So? What are you going to do about it?
(I’m actually nk.)
vladimir putin (db4a41) — 4/10/2010 @ 10:45 pmeaglewingz08 – Don’t forget Obama’s exclusion of former Czech and Czech Republic President President Vaclav Havel from the START Treaty signing ceremony this week in Prague in yet another example of the thin-skinned President’s childishness.
daleyrocks (1feed5) — 4/10/2010 @ 11:02 pmwe will bury you!
Nikita Kruschev (fb8750) — 4/11/2010 @ 12:46 amRussian/KGB Mafia are pussies.
Always have been, always will be…
I’ll call my Jamaican homies up and bumbaclot your asses.
Jeff Barea (eff5e1) — 4/11/2010 @ 2:05 amThere was a very similar crash of a Polish Air Force plane carrying VIPs in 2008 at Mirosławiec in Poland. Pilot error was blamed and people were fired.
Patrick Armstrong (7054cf) — 4/11/2010 @ 8:54 amSee
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miros%C5%82awiec_air_accident
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7205810.stm
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Still in Shock: Poland’s Pres. Lech Kaczynski’s Body Lies in State as Nation Continues to Grieve (video) « Frugal Café Blog Zone (a66042) — 4/14/2010 @ 3:46 am[…] Crash, 96 Killed — Update: Some Sources Say 132 Dead (video) Patterico’s Pontifications: Polish President Dies in Plane Crash Gateway Pundit: Polish Leader & 95 Others Dead in Russia Plane Crash …Update: Airport Was […]
Final Good-bye: Rest in Peace, Lech Kaczynski… State Funeral for Polish President (video) « Frugal Café Blog Zone (a66042) — 4/18/2010 @ 4:10 pmUpdate (4/24/2010): There was only ONE attempt. There is no evidence that pilot was pressured to land. Pilot was the most experience captain in the Polish Air Force, he flu over 3600 hours, most on that plane. The list with people on board was leaked about a week in advance to the media. Russian government has not provided support for that visit which they termed “private.” And so the airport had no ILS, no navigational support, even so the airplane had TAWS which should allow to land in even near invisibility conditions. Apparently either the systems onboard gave out suddenly, or the pilots were receiving wrong information, the russian airport personnel might have been providing flight data in different units, or just plain misleading info. It flew just over 20 meters high about 1 km away from airport, in addition the plane was 50 m off course the landing field. The plane went down at 8:39, the sirens did not sound until 8:56, there were no ambulances sent to to the rescue assuming that everyone died. Russian prime minister, Putin, is personally leading the investigation. Polish side is only allowed to see, what russians let us see. It has been over 14 days, and no black box readings have been made public yet, what’s more, we might never see them, and all that according to the letter of the law…perfect crime.
hturt (2b1ec4) — 4/24/2010 @ 4:12 pm