The flight crew’s failure to proceed to an alternate airport after being told repeatedly that the weather conditions at Smolensk (Russia) Severny Airdrome were significantly lower than the nonprecision approach minimums was the “immediate cause” of the controlled flight into terrain accident that killed all 96 people aboard a Tupolev 154M the morning of April 10, 2010, according to the final report by the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC).
The IAC also faulted the crew’s continued descent below the decision height without visual contact with ground references and their failure to respond to numerous terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS) warnings.
The aircraft, operated by the Polish Ministry of Defense, was transporting Polish President Lech Kaczynski and other government officials, as well as parliament members, clergy and others to attend an event marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre of Polish intellectuals, politicians and military officers in Katyn…
