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Polish President Lech Kaczynski and gov officials die in a plane crash in Russia [682]
The accident happened in Russia, so they had a head start by default.
This actually is not correct. I already posted this on another discussion here, but for the sake of people who have not seen it:
"The black boxes have been investigated by the joined team of Russian and Polish experts. From Polish side, the following people lead the investigation:
1) Edmund Klich, head of the State Commission for Aviation Accident Investigation under the Ministry of Infrastructure of Poland;
2) Ms Ewa Kopacz, Polish Minister of Healthcare;
3) Mr Krzysztof Parulski, Chief Military Prosecutor of Poland
From the Russian side, Ms. Tatyana Anodina, the head of the CIS Interstate Aviation Committee is investigating the crash. Here is the transcript of her latest report to the joint Polish-Russian commission:
The technical commission of the CIS IAC, which has been registered by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) as an independent regional international organisation, is investigating the circumstances of the crash of the Tu-154 aircraft of the Polish state aviation with the participation of representatives of the Defence Ministry and federal bodies, and in close cooperation with the authorised representatives and a big group of experts from Poland.
All required experts are taking part in the commission's work - pilots, technical experts and specialists on meteorological flight support from research institutes and industrial companies of both countries. A joint working group has been decoding and analysing all flight information since the recorders were opened. Polish experts are providing us with important assistance in identifying the voices of the crew members and decoding other data. We then register everything jointly.
The sides keep the recorders in safes sealed by both sides. The work is conducted in Russian and English. We have full understanding on a professional and on a linguistic level.
The commission will complete its work to determine the trajectory of the plane's flight before the crash on the site today and will start bringing fragments of the aircraft from the site of the crash to a site next to the airport, which is under special surveillance.
We are analyzing all flight and technical documents together with Polish specialists. A tentative examination and analysis of the plane's fragments and decoding of the in-flight data of the recorders has established that the engines were operational until the impact and that there was no fire or explosion on board the plane.
The decoding of the in-flight data of the recorders and its analysis show that there were no failures of on-board equipment. Nevertheless, as the international regulations require, the final conclusions will be made after thorough examination of all the fragments. As it has already been reported, specialists are decoding and analysing all in-flight data of the recorders.
One more additional flight data recorder was found yesterday. The commission decided to meet the Polish side's request on its decoding with the participation of our experts in Poland. An air-check of the airfield's radio-technical facilities is scheduled for April 16.
I would like to emphasise once again that the investigation is being carried out in line with international procedures and regulations set by the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), which encompasses 190 states, including Russia and Poland.
Investigators from the European Union and other countries have expressed their willingness to participate in the work of the Technical Commission, should this be deemed necessary. However, these investigators have said that they do not doubt the impartiality and professionalism of either the Commission or Russian experts. IAC (Interstate Aviation Committee) specialists have extensive experience with international investigations, having conducted such investigations in 53 countries, none of which have thus far been contested."
