Poland’s President air crash - the biggest tragedy of the Polish nation after World War II.
On Saturday (17/04/2010) 6:00pm in a Polish church in Dunstable will be held Mass for the victims of the tragedy in Smolensk. After the Mass you can also type in a special book of condolence and lay flowers.
Photo: flickr.com - noverei
Polish THANK YOU to Russians
We the people of Poland, which for the past seventy years have failed to accept the loss of our favorite sons murdered In the Katyn forest, thank the people of the Russian Federation and appeal for reconciliation.More…
The circumstances of the disaster
Presidential aircraft disaster took place on April 10, 2010 at 8:56 Polish time (10:56 local time). The Soviet-era plane Tupolew-154M, side number 101, was on the way to commemoration ceremony of the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre with Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and other Polish delegation onboard. Everything was going according to a plan until about 1.5 km from the Smolensk-Siewiernyj airport where the plane crashed. Preliminary findings show that the left wing touched a mast while trying to land in fog.
No one survived the disaster. The official list of victims of the disaster published by the Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, includes 89 passengers and 7 crew members. One person, Sophia Kruszyńska-Gust, did not check-in.
Photo: Lenta.ru
Just before the crash, at the airport Smolensk-Siewiernyj was a poor visibility caused by fog. On top of that, the airport does not have the supporting ILS landing guidance system. According to preliminary information given by the media plane had problems with landing. Pilots increased engine force to pull up the to enable machine to do the second lap, however, shortly afterwards connection with the plane has been dropped. According to gazeta.ru, a traffic air controller suggested the pilot to divert to either Moscow or Minsk airport, however the first pilot decided to land at Smolensk. In turn, Rossiya television24 says that the crash occurred during the fourth approach to land, but - as mentioned by the Russian Federation Information Agency REGNUM - this information is not confirmed; four approaches were made by another aircraft flying from Moscow.
Photo: Lenta.ru
National Mourning
Since April 10, 2010, Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament Bronislaw Komorowski has to do double duty as Poland president. The same he told to issue a regulation on the introduction of national mourning till 18th of April. Prime Minister Donald Tusk in his speech gave the required approval of mourning declared by Bronislaw Komorowski.
List of victims
Below is a list of Smolensk crash victims onboard Tupolew 154. All 96 people died - 89 passengers and 7 crew members..
Lech Kaczyński – President of the Republic of Poland
Maria Kaczyńska – First Lady RP
Ryszard Kaczorowski – last President of the RP in exile
Krzysztof Putra – Vice-Marshall of the Sejm (the Lower House of the Polish Parliament)
Jerzy Szmajdziński – Vice-Marshall of the Sejm (the Lower House of the Polish Parliament)
Krystyna Bochenek – Vice-Marshall of the Sejm (the Lower House of the Polish Parliament)
Władysław Stasiak – Chief of Staff to the President of the RP
Aleksander Szczygło – Head of the Office of National Security
Paweł Wypych – state-secretary in the Office of the President
Mariusz Handzlik – under-state-secretarz in the Office of the President
Andrzej Kremer – under-state-secratry at the RP Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Stanisław Komorowski – under-state-secretarz at the RP Defense Ministry
Tomasz Merta – under-state-secretary at the RP Ministry of Culture and National Patrimony
Andrzej Przewoźnik – Secretary of the the RP Institute of Military History
Maciej Płażyński – Maciej Płażyński, President of “Wspólnota Polska,” the Polish cultural organization much like the German Goethe Institute or the British Council, Sejm deputy, Ex-Marshall of the Sejm
Mariusz Kazana – Director of Protocol for the RP Ministry of Foreign Affairs
PARLIAMENTARY REPRESENTATIVES
Leszek Deptuła, Sejm deputy
Grzegorz Dolniak, Sejm deputy
Grażyna Gęsicka, Sejm deputy
Przemysław Gosiewski, Sejm deputy
Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka, Sejm deputy
Sebastian Karpiniuk, Sejm deputy
Aleksandra Natalli-Świat, Sejm deputy
Arkadiusz Rybicki, Sejm deputy
Jolanta Szymanek-Deresz, Sejm deputy
Zbigniew Wassermann, Sejm deputy
Wiesław Woda, Sejm deputy
Edward Wojtas, Sejm deputy
Janina Fetlińska, Senator
Stanisław Zając, Senator
REPRESENTATIVES OF FAMILIES INVOLVED WITH THE KATYN MASSACRE AND OTHERS ACCOMPANYING THEM
Ewa Bąkowska – granddaughter of Brig. Gen. Mieczysław Smarowiński (Polish general killed at Katyn)
Anna Maria Borowska
Bartosz Borowski
Edward Duchnowski – Secretary-General of the Siberian Association
Father Bronisław Gostomski
Father Józef Joniec SchP – President of the parish association
Father Zdzisław Król – Chaplain to the Warsaw chapter of the association of Katyn families, 1987-2007
Father Andrzej Kwaśnik – Chaplain of the Federation of Katyn Families
Tadeusz Lutoborski
Zenona Bożena Mamontowicz-Łojek – President of the Polish Katyn Foundation
Stefan Melak – President of the Katyn Committee
Stanisław Mikke – vice-chairman of RP Institute of Military History
Bronisława Orawiec-Löffler
Katarzyna Piskorska
Andrzej Sariusz-Skąpski – President of the Federation of Katyn Families
Wojciech Seweryn
Leszek Solski
Teresa Walewska-Przyjałkowska – Foundation “Golgotha of the East”
Gabriela Zych
Representatives of the Polish Armed Forces
Gen. Franciszek Gągor – Chief of the Polish General Staff
LT Gen. Andrzej Błasik – Head of Polish Internal Forces
Major Gen. Tadeusz Buk – Head of Polish Land Forces
Archbishop Gen. Miron Chodakowski – Orthodox Church chaplain of the Polish Army
Brig. Gen. Kazimierz Gilarski – Head of the Warsaw Garrison
Vice-Admiral Andrzej Karweta – Head of Polish Navy
LT Gen. Bronisław Kwiatkowski – Operational Head of the Polish Armed Forces
Father (Lieutenant-Colonel) Jan Osiński – field chaplain of the Polish Army
Pastor (Colonel) Adam Pilch – Protestant field chaplain
Bishop Gen. Tadeusz Płoski – field chaplain of the Polish Army
Major Gen. Włodzimierz Potasiński – Head of Polish Special Forces
Accompanying persons
adw. Joanna Agacka-Indecka – prezes Naczelnej Rady Adwokackiej
Czesław Cywiński – prezes Światowego Związku Żołnierzy AK
ppłk Zbigniew Dębski – member of the Chapter of the Order of Military Virtuti Military Secretary Club Knights of the Order of Military Virtuti Military
Katarzyna Doraczyńska – the press office staff - Office of the President, Councillor south of Prague, Warsaw
Aleksander Fedorowicz – translator of Russian
Father Roman Indrzejczyk – president's Chaplain
Dariusz Jankowski – aspirant in the Organizational Support Team Office of the President
Janusz Kochanowski – human rights advocate
gen. bryg. Stanisław Nałęcz-Komornicki – Chancellor of the Order of Military Virtuti Military
Janusz Krupski – Head of the Office for War Veterans and Repressed Persons
Janusz Kurtyka – President of the Institute of National Remembrance
Col., PhD. Wojciech Lubiński – president's doctor
Barbara Mamińska – director of the office staff and decorations in the Office of the President
Janina Natusiewicz-Mirer – Deportation, a social activist, a former activist of the democratic opposition in Krakow, an accompanying person to travel anna Walentynowicz
Piotr Nurowski – President of the Polish Olympic Committee
ks. prof. Ryszard Rumianek – Rector of the University of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski
Sławomir Skrzypek – President of the Polish National Bank
Izabela Tomaszewska – Team Director Office of the President, responsible for contacts in the Office of the First Lady
Anna Walentynowicz – activist of Free Trade Unions
Janusz Zakrzeński – actor, member of the Association of Piłsudski program
FLIGHT CREW
Captain Arkadiusz Protasiuk
major Robert Grzywna – drugi pilot
lieutenant Artur Ziętek – navigator
ensign Andrzej Michalak – techniques
Barbara Maciejczyk – stewardess
Natalia Januszko – stewardess
Justyna Moniuszko – stewardess
Officers of the Government Protection Bureau
Jarosław Florczak
Dariusz Michałowski
Paweł Janeczek
Piotr Nosek
Artur Francuz
Jacek Surówka
Paweł Krajewski
Marek Uleryk
Agnieszka Pogródka-Węcławek
