Polish airforce chief in Kaczynski cockpit-official (when plane carrying president crashed)

[sabra]

Source: Reuters

WARSAW, May 25 (Reuters) - Poland's air force chief was in the cockpit of a plane carrying President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others when it crashed in Russia but there was no sign of direct pressure on pilots to land, the main Polish investigator said.

Still, the disclosure may reinforce speculation that the pilots decided to land their Tu-154 military plane at Smolensk airport against the advice of air traffic controllers because of pressure from Kaczynski or members of his entourage.

Kaczynski was running late for a planned April 10 ceremony in nearby Katyn forest marking the 70th anniversary of the murder of some 22,000 Polish army officers and intellectuals there by the Soviet NKVD secret police.

Russian aviation officials investigating the cause of the crash confirmed last week that two non-crew members were in the cockpit just before the crash. But investigator Edmund Klich was the first official publicly to identify one of them.

Asked in an interview on Poland's TVN channel late on Monday who was in the cockpit with crew at the time of the crash, Klich said: "It was General (Andrzej) Blasik... He may have wanted to get a sense of the situation.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE64O1Y8.htm

[Ian David]

1. He'd come in and said, "I just want to wish you all good luck. We're all counting on you." n/t

[naaman fletcher]

2. Surely you can't be serious. nt.

[Ian David]

3. I am serious. And don't call me Shirley. n/t

[green917]

4. i picked the wrong day to quit sniffing glue

N/t

[ShortnFiery]

5. ...

:rofl: Classic ;)