Russia allows Poland to inspect Kaczynski plane crash fragments
The Investigative Committee of Russia (ICR) has authorized Polish investigators to inspect the fragments of the TU-154m aircraft which crashed near Smolensk, Russia on April 10, 2010, killing all on board, including then Polish President Lech Kaczyński, as announced on the ICR’s official website.
“The ICR is continuing the criminal case investigation into the fact of the crash during landing approach at the (North) Smolensk airport of the Tu-154M (b/n) 101 aircraft of the Air Force of the Republic of Poland, which resulted in the deaths of 8 crew members and 88 passengers, including the President of the Polish Republic, Lech Kaczyński,” the statement reads.
During the course of the investigation, a request was reportedly received from “Poland’s competent bodies” to carry out procedural actions in Russia.
“The request has been granted by the Investigative Committee, and between 3 and 7 September 2018, an inspection is planned in the presence of the Polish representatives of the physical evidence – apparatus, sub-units, and structural elements of the Tu-154M aircraft which are being stored in Smolensk. The inspection will be carried out by experienced investigators of the department’s central apparatus, with the involvement of staff from the forensics head office, using all the forensic equipment needed to determine its course and results. The results of the procedural action will be forwarded to the Polish party in the established legal manner,” the ICR stated.
The Tu-154 crashed while coming in to land at the North Smolensk airport, leading to the deaths of 96 people: Polish President Lech Kaczyński, the crew, and members of the official delegation traveling to an event commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.
In January 2011, the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC),, published a report on the crash investigation, according to which the pilots were responsible for the catastrophe, since they rejected the advice to go to an alternate airport, despite the unfavorable weather conditions. The inadequate qualification of the crew is stated to be the indirect cause of the crash.
A commission led by former Polish defense minister Antoni Macierewicz refuted the theory that the pilots were to blame. According to a report presented in the Polish Sejm, there was an explosion in the plane’s left wing at an altitude of roughly 900 meters. Just before the landing strip, there were several emergencies, and then, while the plane was still in the air, an explosion in the aircraft’s fuselage. Furthermore, the commission determined that the operators in Smolensk gave the Polish Tu-154 crew incorrect information for landing.
The commission also ruled out the possibility that Polish Air Force General Andrzej Błasik was in the cockpit during the landing approach.
Macierewicz said that the technical report, which, according to him, does not yet reflect the official stance of the Polish government, has been given to the Prosecutor General’s Office, which is conducting its own investigation into the aviation catastrophe.
Russia has been unwilling to send the aircraft fragments and other physical evidence to Poland, claiming that the Russian investigation is not yet complete.