Polish Leader, 96 Others Dead in Russia Jet Crash

foxnews ^

[traumer]

The plane that crashed, killing Polish President Lech Kaczynski and some of the country's highest military and civilian leaders, ignored Russian air traffic control's instructions, officials said Saturday.

The presidential plane crashed as it came in for a landing in thick fog in western Russia, killing 97.

Russian and Polish officials said there were no survivors on the 26-year-old Tupolev, which was taking the president, his wife and staff to events marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre in Katyn forest of thousands of Polish officers by Soviet secret police.

"The cause of the plane crash was apparently an error by the crew during the approach to landing," Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted an unnamed official in the Russian region of Smolensk, the area where the plane went down.

Authorities said they found Kaczynski's body and both black boxes at the site of the crash. related links

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Polish President Lech Kaczynski and some of the country's highest military, civilian leaders are among 97 killed after plane crashes while landing in Russia. video Tragedy Strikes Poland

Polish president dies in plane crash

Air Force Gen. Alexander Alyoshin confirmed that the pilot disregarded instructions to fly to another airfield.

"At a distance of 1.5 kilometers [0.9 miles] the air traffic control group discovered the crew had accelerated its downward descent and begun descending beneath its glide path," Alyoshin told Russian news agencies.

[FrdmLvr]

Perfect way to send a message to Poland about Russian massacres by powerful Russian/Soviet forces.

[FReepaholic]

..."The cause of the plane crash was apparently an error by the crew during the approach to landing," Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted an unnamed official...

Riiight.

[GovernmentShrinker]

It’s absolutely insane to have all these very high ranking officials flying on the same plane. Most governments, and most corporations of any significant size, have clear policies in place prohibiting this sort of travel arrangement. Either Poland didn’t have such a policy, or they simply flouted it. Just insane.

[BunnySlippers]

In front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw today:

[Riodacat]

Jeebus, how stupid is that?
When I was in senior mgt many years ago, no more than 2 officers of the company were allowed to fly on the same flight for this very reason.
Having all those important people on the same flight was really dumb......

[Steve Van Doorn]

who is that?

[Steve Van Doorn]

Aircraft also use GPS so the Russians could have adjusted the Wide Area Augmentation System to give a false reading.

but then other planes in the area would have noticed the changes.

[Steve Van Doorn]

Another thing to look at they should check the flight path and what altitude they supposed to been flying at. If say they supposed to have been flying at 30,000 feet and was actually at 28,000 feet then someone could have been tampering with their instruments.

[Elle Bee]

they would have cleared air space for a flight with a head of state aboard .... the altimeter reads the transmitted air pressure mark from the airfield upon approach ... wouldn't have affected them in the air

Just hit the signal for that flight and then put it right back

.

[Steve Van Doorn]

Yes, they would also have a GPS on board which that could be altered to but other planes would be affected.