Polish radio says crew distracted before 2010 Smolensk plane crash

Gulf Times ^ | April, 7, 2015

[Freelance Warrior]

In the minutes before a 2010 plane crash that killed Poland's president, members of the president's entourage urged the crew to land despite thick fog, according to what a radio station said was a leaked transcript of cockpit conversations.

In the transcript, the crew on several occasions ask people to be quiet or to leave the cockpit, and conversations suggest people in or around the cockpit were drinking beer, though there is no indication the crew themselves consumed alcohol.

The radio station, RMF FM, said the transcript was from the cockpit voice recorder recovered from the aircraft wreckage soon after the crash. It said Polish investigators had in February used new techniques to decipher parts of the recording provided to them by Russian authorities, which was of such poor quality that it had previously been unintelligible.

According to the transcript, the crew were worried about reports of thick fog at the airport where they were to land, and discussed turning back, but felt pressure to keep going so the president would not have to cancel his engagement.

The radio station said the head of diplomatic protocol in the Polish foreign ministry told the captain: "We will try until we make it" roughly 15 minutes before the crash. Polish air force commander-in-chief Andrzej Blasik, travelling on the plane as a passenger, was in the cockpit and told the pilots 41 seconds before the crash: "You'll make it easily," according to the transcript.

[Freelance Warrior]

The link to the original Polish article whic includes the transcript

[dfwgator]

It said Polish investigators had in February used new techniques to decipher parts of the recording provided to them by Russian authorities

Of course the Russians wouldn't have doctored those recordings, oh no.

[Freelance Warrior]

Of course the Russians wouldn't have doctored those recordings, oh no.

The Polish authorities have never accused the Russian counterparts with this. And in that situation the Poles could receive the recorders only from the Russian hands, and you know this.

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[dfwgator]

Those “Polish authorities” wanted Kaczynski gone as much as the Russkies did.

[Freelance Warrior]

Those “Polish authorities” wanted Kaczynski gone as much as the Russkies did.

On this I really have no idea. Isn't it a too bold conspiracy theory? Whatever government (Tusk or Kaczinsky, or whoever else) Polaks have, makes no difference to Russia, I think.