Polish army plane in fatal crash





A military transport plane has crashed near the north-western Polish town of Miroslawiec, killing at least seven of the 10 people on board, officials say.


Fire service spokesman Pawel Fratczak told TVN24 the Casa C-295M came down in a wood while attempting to land at a Polish air force base, causing a fire.

Mr Fratczak said the air force had told him six passengers and four crew members were on board the plane.
The emergency services are continuing to search for the remaining three.

TVN24 said the plane was carrying officials taking part in an aviation safety conference. The C-295M is a medium-range, twin-turboprop aircraft developed by the Madrid-based manufacturer, Construccionnes Aeronauticas SA (Casa).

.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7205810.stm

There were 19 people on board (15 passengers and 4 crew members ) not 10 as reported before.
No one survived the crash.

Probable casulties:

Commander of 1 BLT (BLT = Tactical Air Force Brigade
Commanders of 40 and 8 ELT (ELT = Tactical Sqn)
....and personel from those units


This particular aircraft was lost - number 019 (this plane was delivered in August 07 !!!).



R.I.P

Names of the victims:

From 1st Tactical Air Force Brigade in Świdwin:
general (OF-06) Andrzej Andrzejewski
colonel (OF-04) Zdzisław Cieślik
major (OF-03) Robert Maj
major (OF-03) Mirosław Wilczyński

From 12th Air Base in Mirosławiec:
colonel (OF-05) Jerzy Piłat
colonel (OF-04) Dariusz Pawlak

From 8th Tactical Squadron in Mirosławiec :
major (OF-03) Grzegorz Jułga
captain (OF-02) Paweł Zdunek
captain (OF-02) Karol Szmigiel

From 21st Air Base in Świdwin:
colonel (OF-05) Dariusz Maciąg
major (OF-03) Piotr Firlingier

From 22nd Air Base in Malbork:
colonel (OF-04) Zbigniew Książek

From 40. Tactical Squadron in Świdwin:
colonel (OF-04) Wojciech Maniewski
captain (OF-02) Leszek Ziemski
captain (OF-02) Grzegorz Stepaniuk

major (OF-03) Krzysztof Smółka from Air Force Command

CASA C-295M 019 crew:
major (OF-03) Jarosław Haładus
lieutenant (OF-01) Robert Kuźma
lieutenant (OF-01) Michał Smyczyński
sergeant (OR-06) Janusz Adamczyk

Spoczywajcie w pokoju...

RIP.

R.I.P..........

RIP...

why did it crash?

We don't know yet TOG (remember that this crash took place 24 hours ago).


Some additional info:

Gen. Usarek: There were no signs
by PAP
Thursday, January 24, 2008

Gen. Usarek: There were no symptoms that anything would happen

24.1.Warszawa (PAP) - There were no signs that anything wrong would happen in a while - said BRIG-GEN Włodzimierz Usarek, when speaking to reporters on Thursday. He exited the CASA airplane in Poznań-Krzesiny airport, during its interlanding stop. The plane was on its way to Mirosławiec where it crashed during landing.

GEN Usarek, a commander of the 2nd Tactical Air Brigade said that "if there were such symptoms the flight would have ended up in Krzesiny." In his opinion the plane was fit to fly while in Krzesiny.

He added that he learned about the tragedy few minutes after the accident. He stressed that he did not recall such a big catastrophe of a transport airplane.

He assessed the crew as very experienced. "Those were the pilots who used to fly to Iraq, to Afghanistan" - he reminded. He described the airplane of this type as very good, which "beautifully handles" and which had many navigational capabilities. He added that he travelled by CASA many times.

When asked about a status of Mirosławiec airport he stressed that the airport was very good and the belt of woods on approach to the airport had no bearings on the catastrophe.

Another officer, who also left the airplane in Krzesiny, logistics chief of the 2nd Tactical Air Brigade LT-COL Wojciech Zgrabczyński, told the journalists that it was the first time on Wednesday that he has ever travelled by this type of airplane. He recalls the flight very positively. He stressed that the weather was very good.

"I am not afraid to enter a next airplane once again" - he stressed. He added that he knew the Mirosławiec airport and he assessed it as very well prepared.

20 people - 4 crew members and 16 passengers - died in the catastrophe of the CASA C-295M military transport airplane, which crashed on Wednesday evening near Mirosławiec (Zachodniopomorskie - West Pomerania voivodship). The passengers were coming home from Warsaw, where they had been attending a conference "Safety of Flights". Among the passengers was the commander of the 1st Tactical Air Brigade in Świdwin, BRIG-GEN pilot Andrzej Andrzejewski.

The aiplane was flying by the scheduled route: Warszawa (Warsaw) - Powidz - Poznań-Krzesiny - Mirosławiec - Świdwin - Kraków (Cracow). The CASA belonged to the 13th Transport Air Squadron of Kraków.

Source: http://www.redakcjawojskowa.pl/gazet...1395&Itemid=69
Translated by MZ

A communique regarding the catastrophe of CASA C-295M airplane
by: Press spokesman for Air Force Command
23.01.2008.

Communique

24.01.2008 r.
12:00

Regarding: Rescue operation after the crash of CASA-295 airplane and about forces and means involved in the rescue operation

On January 23, 2008 the C-295M airplane was on the scheduled flight on route Okęcie - Powidz - Krzesiny - Mirosławiec - Świdwin - Kraków. After taking off from Okęcie airport at 1651 hours the airplane, with crew of four and 36 passengers, made the following interlandings:

- Powidz, at 1635 - 1751 hours, nine soldiers left the airplane
- Krzesiny, at 1811 - 1824 hours, 11 soldiers left the airplane

After taking off from Krzesiny at 1824 hours the C-295M airplane was led by the Air Force traffic controllers. The airplane was flown, according to plan, at the altitude 4900 m., with the average speed of 400 km/h. The airplane was monitored on its entire route by two systems of air control. At 1907 hours the on-duty service of the Air Operations Center received the information from the 22nd Command and Leading Center (Ośrodek Dowodzenia i Naprowadzania - DDN) in Bydgoszcz about the catastrophe of the C-295M airplane, about 1 km away from the landing strip of the Mirosławiec airport.

There were 16 passengers and 4 crew members on the deck of the airplane. At 1907 hours the Ground Search Group of the 12th Air Base in Mirosławiec began the rescue operation, commanded by LT-COL Zbigniew WOLEWICZ, a deputy commander of the 12th Air Base.

Other forces and means, from outside of Ministry of National Defense, participated in the rescue operation: Police, Medical Emergency, State Firefighters and Voluntary Firefighters.

Chief of the General Staff of Polish Armed Forces GEN Franciszek Gągor and Air Force Commander LT-GEN pilot Andrzej Błasik reached the place of accident early at night hours. They were joined later by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Minister of National Defense Bogdan Klich.

The families of the soldiers who died in the catastrophe were being informed about it by representatives of commands of military units, doctors, psychologists and chaplains.

The Investigative Commission for Aircraft Accidents of the State Aviation began its work during the night hours.

The commander of Air Force ordered all his military units to create teams for care and aid for families of soldiers who died in the catastrophe.

On the order of the commander of Air Force - all CASA C-295M flights are suspended until further notice.

The CASA C-295M airplane, with the side number 019, was one of the newest transport airplanes in Polish Air Force. It was manufactured in 2007 and received by Polish Air Force in August 2007. The airplane had 393 flight hours and it went through the first technical periodic service on November 29, 2007. The airplane was still under warranty, which covered two exploitation years and 600 flight hours.

Regarding: Weather conditions for the C-295M airplane on route Krzesiny-Mirosławiec

Due to many reporters' questions regarding weather conditions for the C-295M airplane on its route Krzesiny-Mirosławiec I inform what follows:


Airport Krzesiny: 1830 hours - clouds 7/4; clouds base 390 m; visibility 5 km, foggy, wind 180/2; temperature 0.8 Celsius; humidity 94%; pressure 1029.4 hPa

Airport Mirosławiec: 1900 hours - clouds 8/7; clouds base 90 m; visibility 3 km; foggy; wind 190/1; temperature 0.7 Celsius; humidity 97%; pressure 1027.0 hPa.

Press spokesman of Air Force Command
LT-COL Wiesław Grzegorzewski

Source: http://www.sp.mil.pl/index.php?optio...d=157&Itemid=2
Translated by MZ

RIP.
Hopefully they will find the cause to prevent future tragedies.

RIP, and may the investigators determine the cause of this horrible accident.