Polish President, 95 others die in plane crash

[James48843]

Polish leader, 95 others dead in Russia jet crash


MOSCOW – Polish President Lech Kaczynski and some of the country's highest military and civilian leaders died when the presidential plane crashed as it came in for a landing in thick fog in western Russia on Saturday, killing 96, officials said.

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

The Army chief of staff, Gen. Franciszek Gagor, National Bank President Slawomir Skrzypek and Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Kremer were also on board, the Polish foreign ministry said.

Russia's Emergency Ministry said there were 96 dead, 88 part of a Polish state delegation. Poland's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Piotr Paszkowski, said there were 89 people on the passenger list but one person had not shown up.

"We still cannot fully understand the scope of this tragedy and what it means for us in the future. Nothing like this has ever happened in Poland," Paszkowski said. "We can assume with great certainty that all persons on board have been killed."

The governor of the Smolensk region, where the crash took place about 11 a.m. (0700 GMT), also said no one survived.

State news channel Rossiya-24 showed footage from the crash site, with pieces of the plane scattered widely amid leafless trees and small fires burning in woods shrouded with fog. A tail fin with the Polish red and white colors stuck up from the debris.

"The Polish presidential plane did not make it to the runway while landing. Tentative findings indicate that it hit the treetops and fell apart," regional governor Sergei Anufriev said on Rossiya-24. "Nobody has survived the disaster."

The presidential Tu-154 was at least 20 years old. Polish officials have long discussed replacing the planes that carry the country's leaders but said they lacked the funds. According to the Aviation Safety Network, there have been 66 crashes involving Tu-154s, including six in the past five years. The Russian carrier Aeroflot recently withdrew its Tu-154 fleet from service.

More: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100410/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_plane_crash;_ylt=AglXNlsvI4V95NaPd_heC.R H2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTNhZHMyYmVuBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDE wL2V1X3J1c3NpYV9wbGFuZV9jcmFzaARjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wd WxhcgRjcG9zAzEEcG9zAzEEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHN sawNwb2xpc2hsZWFkZXI-

[KevinD]

Sad... :(

[CountryBoy]

Very sad. They were alos an ally, until BO screwed them over on the Missle Defense system, because he didn't want to upset his new friend Putin. Yeah he's real trustworthy, :rolleyes: because the socialist love him.

Now what "he" or "him" was I talking about? ;)

[James48843]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 286-10
April 10, 2010 U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

On the Web: http://www.defense.gov/releases/
Media Contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
Public Contact: http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1

(http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?pub=govdelivery&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsharing.govdelivery.com%2Fbulleti ns%2FGD%2FUSDOD-BEB41&title=Bookmark+and+Share) GovDelivery, Inc. sending on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense · 408 St. Peter Street Suite 600 · St. Paul, MN 55102 · 1-800-439-1420

Statement by Secretary Gates on the death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski and the military leadership traveling with him:

Today, I want to express my deepest and sincere condolences to Polish Minister of Defense Bogdan Klich and the Polish military on the tragic deaths of their Commander in Chief as well as their Armed Service Chiefs and other military personnel who were traveling to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.

Poland is one of America's closest allies, and our nations are united by a shared heritage and a shared commitment to defend the values of freedom and democracy. In this accident, Poland has lost some of its most brilliant and dedicated patriots and public servants -- citizens who have transformed their country into a model of peace and prosperity at the center of the Euro-Atlantic community.

The military personnel lost in this tragic accident in some cases had served together side by side with American forces in combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Many were spearheading the transformation of the Polish Armed Forces and attended U.S. military schooling. All served with great distinction in the proud military tradition of the Republic of Poland. The United States military mourns the loss of so many cherished Brothers in Arms.

[JTH]

Am I the only one who thinks of foul play here?

[Buster]

..........................................

[Buster]

Am I the only one who thinks of foul play here?
Nyet!..something don't sound right...The Pilot was told by ATC to abort several times and to divert to another Airport because of the bad weather/fog....Perhaps "Pilot Suicide":suspicious:

[burrocrat]

that makes three of us, i just didn't want to be the first crackpot to mention it.

that close to the ground, moving that slowly, and not one survived?

wonder which intelligence agency pulled the trigger? whoever it was they also got a catholic bishop and a central banker in the same shot, what a coincedence.

[JTH]

Yes I am a crackpot, in the fact that I don't believe in coincidence.

If Russia had to choose 50 Polish people to kill, odds are pretty good all 50 were on that plane. I can't speak for the Polish, but American maintainers keep Air Force One(s) in immaculate working order, I can only imagine they do the same for the Polish President.

Anyone remember the Missile Defense Shield the US is supposed to put in Poland? This is the equivalent to our Cuban Missile Crisis.

[grandma]

Poland Is a Friend of Israel - suffered much under the Nazis.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/184167

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day:(

Below is from Arutz Sheva, IsraelNationalNews.com e-news letter:
Quote/copy/paste:
Israel Mourns Polish President, a ‘Great Friend’ of Israel
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu http://www.israelnationalnews.com/static/pictures/resized/136-106/42/42445.jpg

Israel is mourning the death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski, who was killed along with his wife and other officials in a plane crash in Russia. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu eulogized him as a “great friend of Israel."

"I knew President Kaczynski as a Polish patriot, as a great friend of Israel,” the Prime Minister said in an official statement on Shabbat. “President Kaczynski led an important process for opening a new page in relations between the Polish and Jewish peoples.”

President Shimon Peres stated, “The news of the tragic accident that has taken the lives of my friend, President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria Kaczynski, and prominent members of Poland's leadership and its Parliament, has been received with a great deal of pain, shock and distress. President Kaczynski and his wife did much to promote closer ties between the Polish and Jewish peoples, making a significant contribution to the healing process of the scars of the past and the building of a common better future.

"The State of Israel bows its head, as it partakes in the deep sorrow of the Polish people on the occasion of their dreadful loss.”

IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Askenazi said that the Polish leader "especially touched my heart, his great interest in the journey of military officers to concentration camps in Poland in the framework of the Witnesses in Uniform program. We discussed this at length and it was very important to him that young IDF officers meet with young officers in the Polish Armed Forces and get to know the new generation who is educated about the Holocaust."

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman commented, "We were shocked by his tragic disappearance. Our heart is with the Polish people. He was a real friend of Israel and the Jewish people. He proved this with actions, especially by forging an important strategic alliance with us.”

The crash in foggy weather in the Russian city of Smolensk came three days before an Israeli delegation is scheduled to participate in Holocaust Day events at the sites of Nazi death camps in Poland.

All 97 people on board, including top political and military leaders of Poland, are believed to have died in the accident. The chief of the Polish armed forces, the deputy foreign minister, the head of the central bank and dozens of legislators and other officials were on board the ill-fated plane. It is suspected that the pilot ignored several warnings from Russian air controllers.

The airplane was on its way to memorial services in an area in Russia where Soviet forces killed 22,000 Poles 70 years ago. [/quote/copy/paste]

[CountryBoy]

Am I the only one who thinks of foul play here?

It's the first thing I thought of. Putin is a thiug also.

[coolhand]

http://www.rense.com/general90/susp.htm

AIRCRASH HAS ALL THE HALLMARKS OF A 'PREPLANNED ACCIDENT'

[grandma]

http://www.rense.com/general90/susp.htm

AIRCRASH HAS ALL THE HALLMARKS OF A 'PREPLANNED ACCIDENT'

I really don't think many of us here are surprised -
And, yes, I know the thought occurred to me at the news, as I am sure it did
for most others of the mb.:notrust:

[FAB1]

So to all of you conspirators...

Was JFK Jr's plane crash a sabatoge plot by the Republicans? To prevent him from following his dads footsteps and running for President one day?

When Ron Brown died in a plane crash in the former Yugolavia (during a storm) was that plotted by the Republican Revolutionary Gingrich?

C'mon...it was a plane crash in bad weather!

1) your cold. way cold - Who was Jr. running against in NY for senate...was it...Satan? Hmmm? Ahhh, yur gettin HOT:mad:

2) No, dimocrats eat their own. He commited Arkancide.