Polish presidential plane crash minute by minute

Published time: 12 Jan, 2011 09:09 Edited time: 12 Jan, 2011 23:54

Aviation investigators have released a simulation video, which shows minute by minute the chain of events which led to the tragic crash of the presidential Tu-154M plane with President Lech Kaczynski and dozens of top Polish officials onboard.

The video released by the Interstate Aviation Commission is part of the official report on the investigation.

It comprises a visual representation of the final minutes of the flight, as well as the cockpit voice recording, and communications of the aircraft commander with air-traffic control at Smolensk’s Severny Airport, as well as with the crew of the Polish Yak-40 jet, which had managed to land there safely about an hour before.

The comments elaborate on the flight situation and its development, in order to explain the reasoning of investigators and justify their conclusions about the accident. These factors put the blame for the crash on the Polish side, saying the combination of pressure on the crew by the high-profile passengers and the lack of experience of flying a Tu-154 aircraft lead to the disaster.