The Smolensk air disaster was seemingly allowed to happen because of the pilot's arrogance.
Unfolding on April 10, 2010, the crash killed 96 passengers including Poland's president Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria, and a load of senior political and military figures.
Polish Air Force captain Arkadiusz Protasiuk, co-pilot Major Robert Grzywna, navigator Lieutenant Artur Ziętek, and engineer Andrzej Michalak were manning the cockpit at the time, but it's since been revealed via onboard transcripts that this catastrophe could've been avoided.
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While they were airborne—the flight was from Poland's capital Warsaw to Russian city Smolensk—weather conditions deteriorated drastically, leaving the captain and his crew without a clear vision.
A thick blanket of fog had descended over Smolensk, reducing visibility to a mere 200 metres, according to The Guardian.
Protasiuk proceeded to inform local air traffic controllers that he was still going ahead with the planned landing, even though they'd strongly advised him to divert his course to a separate airfield.
Reportedly, the captain explained that a 'trial' approach would be carried out, before thanking the controllers for their thoughts on the matter.
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"If it's fine, we will try landing but if weather conditions are bad we re-ascend and make a second circle," he told them, as per The Mirror.
Fatefully, the plane then dropped to a life-threateningly low altitude, as the onboard warning system repeatedly buzzed at them: "Pull up, pull up ... terrain ahead."
It's unclear within the recordings why the pilots only attempted to do so when the critical moment had already passed.
The aircraft could not 're-ascend for a second circle' as instructed, and so, at 10.45am, the Tuploev 154 military vessel plummeted into a wooded area, flipping over and rolling before bursting into flames.
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Investigators were later able to find out what went on in the cockpit during the final 15 minutes of the flight before it crashed. The last of the audio recordings turned out to be a prolonged curse by an unidentified person inside the cockpit.
Poland and Russia each blamed the other over the incident, while a collection of conspiracy theories would later arise.
On the 15th anniversary of the Smolensk disaster earlier this month, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk shared a statement on X.
"Memory of the Smolensk disaster and its victims should no longer divide us. Rebuilding community and mutual respect is possible and necessary, even though it remains very difficult. Let’s try. This is the tribute they deserve. May they rest in peace," he wrote.
Topics: Russia
Dan Seddon