All language subtitles for Air.Disasters.S04E10.Death.of.the.President.1080p.PMTP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-maldini_track3_[eng]

Narrator:
On April 10, 2010,

a plane crash claimed the life

of Polish President
Lech Kaczynski.

Man: How could it have happened
that the plane crashed

and didn't reach the airport?

Narrator: And it happened
on Russian soil.

Man: This was a chief of state
of a neighboring country

on an extremely sensitive
political mission.

Narrator: Russian experts have
conducted an investigation

and reported their findings:

The Polish pilots are at fault.

Man: It seemed there was
some kind of dirty trick here.

Man: Conspiracy theories
sprung up immediately.

Narrator: Polish
Interior Minister Jerzy Miller

has examined the evidence

and has come to
a different conclusion.

Jerzy Miller, translated:
Everyone understood

the importance
of this investigation.

Narrator: The stakes
go far beyond aviation safety.

The pride of a nation
and even its political future

may hang in the balance.

Man: It's not every day

that they have to investigate
a plane crash

and it's a matter
of top political importance.

Flight attendant:
Ladies and gentlemen,
we are starting our approach.

Pilot: We lost both engines!

Flight Attendant:
Put the mask over your nose.

Emergency descent.

Pilot: Mayday, mayday.

Flight Attendant:
Brace for impact!

Controller: I think I lost one.

Man: Investigation starting...

Man: He's gonna crash!

Narrator: July 29, 2011.

Jerzy Miller is preparing
to reveal the results

of Poland's
independent investigation

into the devastating crash
at Smolensk airport.

It all started
15 months earlier.

Polish air force flight 101
is carrying 89 passengers,

including
president Lech Kaczynski.

Four of Poland's best pilots
are in the cockpit.

They're elite military airmen

from the country's
special aviation regiment.

Man: Have you decided yet?

Man: Throttle down.

Man: Throttle down.

Narrator:
Just after ten o'clock,

the plane begins its descent
to Smolensk.

The state flight from Warsaw
took off at 9:27 this morning.

The passengers
are a cross section

of the Polish elite,

dignitaries
on their way to mark

a grim and controversial
anniversary.

Jerzy Miller, translated:
This anniversary

was on April the 10th.

It was a great Polish tragedy--

the murder of Polish soldiers
in World War II, by Stalin.

Narrator: In 1940,
Stalinist forces

marched 22,000 Polish officers
and intellectuals

into Russia's Katyn forest
to be executed.

Man: The Soviet Government
took the decision--

the document still exists--

to murder them all.

Narrator:
For decades after World War II,

the Soviet Union held Poland's
firmly in its grip.

Until the fall of communism,

the Soviets denied
all responsibility

for the Katyn massacre.

Sergey Yakimov, translated:
The history of
Polish-Russian relations

has been very difficult,

especially when it comes
to the Soviet period...

Because no one wanted to have
blood on their hands

for shooting
the Polish officers.

Konstsanty Gebert:
For the first time,
the Russian Government

was acknowledging
the crime committed

and the pain that the poles
still feel for that crime.

Narrator: Few understand
Poland's troubled past better

than President Kaczynski.

He's a highly respected
statesman with political roots

in the anti-communist solidarity
movement of the 1980s.

Gebert: Kaczynski
cared extremely deeply

about Polish national tradition,

wanted to be there
to commemorate the deaths

on the anniversary
of the massacre.

Narrator:
By visiting the memorial
near the site of the massacre,

the Polish President
is taking an important step

towards reconciliation.

Yakimov: Of course,

there was a lot of media
attention for this event.

We started preparing
and making arrangements

around two weeks ahead of time.

Narrator:
The man who has organized
this momentous occasion

is director of protocol
Mariusz Kazana.

Mariusz Kazana:
Water for you, sir.

Narrator: President Kaczynski
and his wife...

Kazana: Ma'am?

Narrator:
...are joined by many
of Poland's top brass,

including Lieutenant General
Andrzej Blasik,

commander
of the Polish air force.

There are also descendants
of the victims of the massacre

traveling to today's ceremony.

Gebert: To the extent

that I can attempt
to imagine their mood,

it would have been solemn
and powerful and sad.

Narrator: The elite crew
is flying a Tupolev TU-154M,

an extremely popular
Russian-built plane.

As they get closer
to the airport,

the workload picks up.

Flight engineer Andrzej Michalak

must calculate
engine performance.

Andrzej Michalak:
May I please have
the temperature and pressure?

Man: I'll tell you what
the temperature is--

cold.

Narrator: He needs some vital
information from the tower.

Man: Are we going to
speak Russian?

Man: Yes.

Narrator:
English is the international
language of civil aviation.

But since Smolensk
is a military airport,

controllers here
speak only Russian.

Passenger jets don't normally
land at this base.

But for the Polish delegation,

it's the closest runway
to the Katyn memorial.

Alexander Stepchenkov,
translated:
This was a military airfield

and the incoming flight was,
as a matter of fact, civilian.

It doesn't matter that the crew
was made up of members

of a special division
of the Polish military.

The plane was flying

according to the rules
of civilian aviation.

Narrator:
Captain Arkadiusz Protasiuk

is the only member
of this Polish crew

who speaks Russian.

He'll have to handle the
communication with the tower.

Polish one-zero-one.
Good morning.

Controller: Polish one-zero-one,
acknowledge.

Polish air force, we have fog.

Visibility is 400 meters.

Protasiuk: Understood.

Polish Air Force 101.

Heavy fog.
Visibility's only 400 meters.

Yakimov: The fog was so dense,
nothing was visible.

You couldn't see your hand
in front of your face

or the person
standing next to you.

Narrator: Smolensk airbase
doesn't have the equipment

needed for
a radio-guided landing.

Stepchenkov: It is not the best
technologically equipped

airfield in our country.

Narrator: The pilots
will first have to descend

to just above 300 feet,

then look for the runway.

Once they spot it, they will
have to land manually.

Protasiuk: Temperature
and pressure, please.

Man: Temperature is plus two.

Pressure is 7-4-5.

We do not have
landing conditions.

Protasiuk:
Continuing our approach.

If we're unable to land,
we'll go around on autopilot.

Narrator: Captain Protasiuk
takes his plane lower

to get a first-hand look
at landing conditions.

Stepchenkov:
From their flying experience

the crew knew
that fog can be uneven.

One minute it can be very dense,

but 10 or 15 minutes later,
the wind can clear it.

Narrator:
But as they get closer,

the fog gets even thicker.

Controller:
Approaching outer marker.

On course.

Narrator: Then, the situation
takes a turn for the worse.

As the crew strains
to catch sight of the runway,

the sound of an alarm
suddenly fills the cockpit.

Navigator: 100 meters.

Computer alarm:
Terrain, terrain. Pull up.

Protasiuk: We are leaving
for a go-around.

Narrator: In the cabin,

passengers are preparing
for an imminent landing.

Computer Alarm:
Terrain, terrain. Pull up.

Navigator: 90 meters.

Narrator:
But the crew is struggling
to make the plane climb.

Computer alarm:
Terrain, terrain. Pull up.

Computer alarm:
Terrain, terrain. Pull up.

Navigator: 40.

Computer alarm:
Terrain, terrain. Pull up.

Navigator: 30.

20!

Controller:
Depart for the go-around.

How long has it been?

Narrator: One of the darkest
days in Polish history,

a day that was
to have been commemorated

by the president himself,

will now be remembered
for yet another tragedy.

At the Katyn memorial,

hundreds of people
await the arrival

of the Polish delegation.

But what they get instead
is devastating news.

The president's plane
has crashed.

Yakimov: No one could imagine

that something like this
tragedy, this crash,

could happen.

When we heard the first rumors

that the Polish plane
had crashed,

we thought it was
a foolish joke.

But then,
after about ten minutes,

we saw how the Polish people
were hugging and crying.

There was a witness
who used a cell phone

to record the very first seconds
of the tragedy

when you could
still see the fire,

when the fuel
was still burning.

Narrator:
Minutes after the crash,

military personnel and rescuers

converge on a forest
1,300 feet from the runway.

They discover a scene
of total destruction.

The charred remnants
of the president's plane

litter the ground.

Andrey Kasianov, translated:
When I got to the crash site,

my first impression was, "when
did they remove all the bodies?"

But after I got a closer look,
the picture was very sad.

There were body fragments.

96 people,
and not a single full body.

I couldn't even imagine
this was possible.

Narrator:
No one has survived.

It's a monumental tragedy.

Kasianov: The only thing
I could see that had survived

was the wreath they were
bringing to the Katyn memorial.

Narrator:
With suspicions mounting

about how such a disaster
could happen,

Russian air accident
investigators

arrive at the crash site.

Investigator:
We'll need a command post.

See what we have to work with.

Narrator: They are members

of the inter-state
aviation committee

known as the M.A.K.

Russian Investigator:
Let's start over there.

Narrator: Their task
will be to figure out

what happened and why.

Investigator:
We need to map every quadrant.

Gebert: It's not every day

that they have to investigate
a plane crash

and it's a matter
of top political importance.

Narrator: News of the Polish
President's death

on Russian soil

stuns all of Poland's.

Miller: I thought about
the people onboard the plane...

Because, you see,

I knew most of the passengers
personally.

Narrator:
As the nation grieves,

shock and sadness soon become
mixed with suspicion.

Gebert: My first thought was,
"was it an attack?"

Because of the deeply
hostile relationship

between Poland's and Russia's,

conspiracy theories
sprung up immediately.

Narrator:
Many poles are convinced

the world has just witnessed
an assassination--

a targeted killing orchestrated

by President Kaczynski's
political adversaries.

Gebert: These were accusations

that not only the crash
was an intentional attack

by the Russians,

but that the Polish Goverment
knew it

and was actually in cahoots
with the Russians

in order to eliminate
a dangerous political opponent.

Narrator: With so many
high-ranking officials now dead,

some fear Poland's
entire goverment may collapse.

Gebert:
I was terribly concerned

that we might not make it,

that these were
the 100 out of the 400

most important people in
Poland's.

I wasn't sure
if we've produced a state

that can weather this shock.

Narrator:
At the crash site,

the evidence
is pointing in a direction

that will not sit well
with poles.

Investigator: Why would they
even try to land in this fog?

Narrator: Some claim
the Polish pilots

should not have tried
to land in the heavy fog.

The suggestion
raises anger in Poland's.

Gebert: For the partisans
of the conspiracy theory,

it was just another
Russian whitewash.

Narrator: Poland's leaders are
desperate to uncover the truth

about the crash.

They send
their own investigators

to work alongside
the Russians.

Maciej Lasek, translated:
It was a big challenge.

Altogether there were 34 people

fully engaged in conducting
research on this crash.

Polish investigator:
What have you got so far?

Miller: We approached
the investigation

with sound procedures,

meaning that,
in the beginning,

we assumed that every
potential cause was possible.

And then we gradually eliminated
what didn't fit.

Narrator: They launch
a painstaking search

for any evidence that the flight
may have been brought down

by assassins.

Miller:
We also checked to see

if there was any trace
of explosives

on the airplane wreckage.

Narrator: Careful analysis by
both Russian and Polish experts

reveals no explosive residue
on the wreckage...

No sign that the plane
was shot down.

Investigators
on both sides agree:

The crash is a tragic accident,
not a political assassination.

Miller: That possibility
was ruled out very quickly

because of the complete
lack of evidence.

Narrator: Investigators must
find the plane's black boxes.

Polish Investigator:
Excuse me.

Any sign
of the flight recorders?

Russian Investigator:
Not yet.

But it's our top priority.

Polish Investigator:
You know, of course,
we need all three.

Russian investigator:
Of course.

Narrator: With suspicion
growing at home,

Polish investigators anxiously
want to get their hands

on all of the plane's recorders.

The Tupolev had three.

The cockpit voice recorder
and the flight data recorder

are Russian made.

Man: Have you decided yet?

Narrator: They will reveal
what the pilots said

and how the airplane performed.

A third Polish-made device
called the quick access recorder

also captures flight data,

but it can only be read

by the device's
Polish manufacturer.

If the Russian
and Polish data match,

investigators will be assured

that no one has tampered
with either machine.

Lasek: It was essential

because we expected
to hear suspicions

or accusations from the public

that the data
read by the M.A.K. Experts

had been tampered with.

Narrator: While the search
for the recorders continues,

investigators seek answers
from the air traffic controller

on duty that morning.

They want to know why the pilots
tried to land in such heavy fog.

Man: They were not
coming in to land.

They were only doing
a trial approach.

Narrator: They learn
that the crew was warned

about the poor visibility.

Man: We do not have
landing conditions.

Narrator: But they wanted to
judge conditions for themselves.

Controller: Polish 101,

from 100 meters be prepared
to do a go-around.

Narrator: The plan was to
descend to just over 300 feet,

then fly over the airport.

Controller: At 100 meters
that was the decision height.

Lasek: Approaching
below the minimum

always brings the risk of
hitting objects on the ground.

After that, there's no certainty
that attempting a go-around

can be done safely.

Narrator: But investigators
are puzzled.

Something doesn't add up.

Even at around 300 feet,

the plane should have easily
cleared the trees.

Surveying the forest,

they work to identify the first
tree the Tupolev slammed into.

They find it about
a half a mile from the runway.

Russian investigator:
Pilots hit the tree

at 11 meters.

Narrator: If they intended to
fly at ten times that height,

how did they hit the tree?

Polish investigator:
We need more information.

Narrator: For some reason,

the presidential jet
was flying dangerously low

as it sped toward the airport.

Was it a failure
of the Russian plane,

or a mistake
by the Polish crew?

Investigators
in the Polish tragedy

get a major break in the case.

They find the two
Russian-made black boxes.

The Polish flight recorder,
though,

remains buried in the wreckage.

Polish Investigator:
Any sign of the AR?

Russian investigator:
Not yet.

Narrator: The flight data
recorder may hold valuable clues

about what doomed
the president's plane.

The device is rushed to
the M.A.K. Laboratory in Moscow.

Investigators download the data,

searching for any sign of
an onboard mechanical failure.

But the analysis comes up empty.

Russian investigator: It looks
like everything was functioning.

Narrator:
Until the moment the plane
struck the first tree,

there was no malfunction
whatsoever.

Russian investigator: We'll send
you a copy of the data.

Narrator: It's beginning to look
like the initial speculation

is true.

The Polish pilots
may be at fault.

Polish investigators
need to be sure

the Russian data
has not been tampered with.

Their only hope

is to find the missing
Polish-made flight recorder.

But so far,
the search is proving fruitless.

Miller: Only by combining
all of the parameters

could we answer the questions:

Did the crew follow procedures?

Was the plane working properly
to the end?

Narrator: Meanwhile,

investigators
from both countries

turn their attention
to the cockpit voice recorder.

Wieslaw Jedynak, translated:
This is a very important element

that helps
accident investigators

understand the crew's
last moments in the plane.

Russian investigator:
All ready?

Let's go ahead.

Narrator: They immediately
notice something unusual.

Polish Investigator:
That sounds like the captain.

Narrator: The captain
is the one making radio calls

to air traffic control,

and he's doing it in Russian.

Russian Investigator:
Why's the captain
making the radio calls?

Narrator:
Proper aviation procedures

call for the navigator
to handle the radio

while the captain concentrates
on flying the plane.

Narrator: Investigators suspect

the captain decided
to handle the radio himself

because he was the only one
who could speak Russian.

Lasek: The captain
who was flying the plane

was in charge of the crew

and handling
the radio communication.

His workload was too heavy.

Narrator: Moments later,

the recording reveals
something even more surprising.

Protasiuk: Mr. Director,
fog has rolled in.

In the conditions
we have right now,

we'll not be able to land.

Russian Investigator:
Who is he talking to?

Protasiuk: Mr. Director,
the fog has rolled in.

In the conditions
we have right now,

we will not be able to land.

We'll make an attempt,
but it probably won't work.

Kazana:
Then we have a problem.

Polish Investigator:
Sounds like Kazana,

the director of protocol.

Russian Investigator:
What is he doing
in the cockpit?

Narrator: The pilots
were not alone in the cockpit.

Jedynak: We could hear
voices of people

who were definitely
not crew members.

And this meant that the cockpit
was accessible

to people who were not part
of the flight crew.

Controller: From 100 meters,
be prepared to do a go-around.

Protasiuk: Acknowledged.

Narrator: Safety rules forbid
visitors in the cockpit

at key points in the flight.

Jedynak: It was surprising

because it confirmed that
the cockpit wasn't sterile.

There's a rule that,
below a certain altitude,

pilots should be isolated
from the rest of the plane

so they can concentrate
on their tasks.

Narrator: It now appears

the presence of so many
top officials on board

affected the decision to land.

Kazana: Sir, I have some news
from the cockpit.

Lasek: We described it
as indirect pressure,

the pressure resulting
from the weight of the task

and the mission
the aircrew was completing.

Narrator:
Some Investigators believe

general Blasik
also visited the cockpit.

As the mystery behind the crash
of air force 101 grows deeper,

one thing is clear.

Gebert: In a crash,

be it an air crash
or a political crash

or a crash in human relations,

very seldom
there's just one factor.

Narrator: There is much more
to this tragedy

than simple pilot error.

Narrator: While Poland's mourns
the loss of its president,

suspicion and doubt still linger
over the cause of his death.

Conspiracy theories
are spreading.

Yakimov: The Polish media
distrusted the information

provided by the Russian experts.

It seemed there was some kind
of dirty trick here.

Narrator:
But at the crash site,

investigators have
uncovered the one thing

that could erase
many of those suspicions--

the Polish-made
flight recorder.

Finally, Polish experts
can study the data

from both flight recorders
side by side.

They look for any discrepancy,

any hint that the black box data
has been altered.

After a careful analysis,

they reach
a definitive conclusion.

Polish Investigator:
All the data's here.

Narrator: The two sets of data
are a perfect match.

Lasek: It was important for us

because it removed all doubt

that the data
might have been manipulated.

Narrator:
With the data verified,

investigators
refocus their attention

on the cockpit voice recorder.

Controller:
Turn on your landing lights.

Protasiuk: Lights on.

Computer alarm:
Terrain, terrain. Pull up.

Narrator: They hear a warning

that the plane
is dangerously low.

But strangely, the pilots
don't seem to react to it.

Protasiuk:
You can't see a thing.

Computer alarm:
Terrain, terrain. Pull up.

Polish Investigator:
Why aren't they concerned
about their altitude?

Russian Investigator:
They should be.

Jedynak: The reactions
of the pilots and the crew

should be immediate,
without any hesitation.

When we listened
to the recordings

for the first time

and heard
the very clear system warnings,

it was very surprising that
the crew didn't react properly.

Controller:
Turn on your landing lights.

Narrator: Investigators are
puzzled by the crew's behavior.

They compare
the plane's intended flight path

to the altitudes called out
by the navigator.

Navigator: 100 meters.

Computer alarm:
Pull up. Terrain, terrain...

Navigator: 90 meters.

Computer alarm:
Terrain, terrain. Pull up.

Navigator: 40.

Computer alarm:
Terrain, terrain,
terrain, terrain...

Navigator: 30.

Navigator: 20!

Russian Investigator: Stop.

Narrator:
Just after the navigator
calls out 65 feet,

the unmistakable sound

of the plane
hitting the first tree.

Russian Investigator:
20 meters?

Polish Investigator: They hit
the tree at 11 meters, not 20.

Narrator:
Something's not right.

The navigator
is calling out 65 feet,

but the plane is only 36 feet
from the ground.

Russian Investigator:
They didn't know their altitude.

Narrator: The recording
leaves investigators

with two important questions:

Why did the crew
ignore the alarms,

and why were they closer
to the ground than they thought?

The team pores over
the flight data,

checking for signs
of an altimeter malfunction.

Russian Investigator:
Lieutenant.

Narrator:
It could explain the crash.

Russian Investigator:
What happens here?

Narrator:
But instead of a malfunction,

they find that the altimeter
reading makes a sudden jump.

A barometric altimeter

shows the plane's height
above sea level

by measuring
atmospheric pressure:

Air pressure goes up
as the plane goes down.

When approaching an airport,

pilots usually
calibrate the altimeter

to account for the airport's
height above sea level.

But that's not
what this crew did.

Russian Investigator:
Someone reset the altimeter.

Jedynak: One of the crew members
switched the captain's altimeter

to a pressure which changed
the altitude reference.

The plane seemed a little bit
higher than it was in reality.

Narrator: The numbers show

that the instrument was reset
to its default setting--

a move that resulted
in an altimeter reading

much higher than the plane's
actual height above the ground.

Polish Investigator:
Why would a pilot do that?

Narrator: Polish investigators
take their questions to pilots

from the same special regiment
that flew the president.

Polish Investigator: What do
you think they were doing?

Narrator: They learn
that military pilots

sometimes use
the barometric altimeter

to solve an annoying problem.

The altimeter is connected

to the terrain altitude
warning system, or taws.

It alerts pilots if they're
getting too close to the ground.

The system is pre-programmed

with the location
of most major airports

and will not sound an alarm

when the pilots
are coming in to land.

But that only works if
the airport is in the database.

Many, including Smolensk,
are not.

Lasek: The Smolensk airport,
which is a military airport,

was not included
in the taws system.

Narrator: The alarm
goes off so frequently

at military airports

that some pilots
have developed a dangerous habit

of disregarding the sound.

Protasiuk:
You can't see a thing.

Lasek: We analyzed many flights.

And it turns out
that they were in the habit

of ignoring these alarms.

Narrator:
And that's not all.

Polish Investigator:
You're telling me

you actually change the
altimeter to the wrong setting?

Narrator: They've also
come up with ways

to silence the nuisance alarms.

One way is to simply
reset the altimeter.

That fools the system

into thinking the plane is
flying at a higher altitude.

Controller:
Turn on your landing lights.

Protasiuk: Lights on.

Narrator:
It's a temporary fix.

As the crew of the presidential
jet continues to descend,

the alarm sounds again
just 20 seconds later.

Polish Investigator:
Start playback.

Narrator: It seems incredible
that such an elite crew

flying such
high-ranking passengers

would commit
a breach of procedures.

Navigator: 100 meters.

Narrator:
Even if they did,

it doesn't explain
why the navigator

was calling out the wrong
altitude during the descent.

Navigator: 90 meters.

Polish Investigator:
Stop playback.

He was using
his radio altimeter.

Narrator: Most large jets

are equipped with two types
of altimeter.

Navigator: 40.

Narrator: Since the barometric
altimeter has been reset,

the navigator could only have
been using the second one.

Navigator: 20!

Narrator:
His radio altimeter.

It uses radio waves

to measure the distance between
the plane and the ground below.

But the terrain near Smolensk
airbase is uneven.

Planes have to fly over a valley
to reach it.

Polish Investigator:
Look what happens here.

Narrator: When the radio
altimeter read 300 feet,

the air force jet was not
300 feet above the airport.

It was 300 feet
from the bottom of the valley.

In the dense fog, the pilots
couldn't see the ground.

Once they cleared the valley,

they were just above
the treetops.

The radio altimeter was giving
them misleading information.

Lasek: Using the radio altimeter
at this early stage of approach

is a serious mistake.

Narrator:
It doomed everyone on board.

Investigators have uncovered

some of the key factors
in the crash.

But there is another question
to consider.

Polish Investigator: Why would
he even try an approach

in such foggy weather?

Controller:
Temperature plus two.

Pressure 7.45.

We do not have
landing conditions.

Narrator:
The pilots were warned

that conditions were not
suitable for landing,

yet they persisted,

and descended towards
Smolensk airport.

Lasek: After getting
the information

about the fog and visibility,

the decision to fly
to the alternate airport

should have been made
immediately.

Narrator: A closer look
at captain Protasiuk's history

may help explain that decision.

This was not
the first time he'd flown

with the President
of Poland's.

Lasek: Everyone in Poland's knew
what happened a few years ago,

when the captain
served as the co-pilot

during the Azerbaijan flight.

Narrator:
In august of 2008,

the president wanted to fly
into a war zone.

Protasiuk was the first officer
on the flight.

Protasiuk: I'll inform ATC
of your decision.

Negative. We will not
be landing in Tbilisi.

Narrator: The captain refused
to fly to an unsafe airport.

Lasek: His captain
was ordered to land in Georgia,

but he did not follow
this order.

Narrator:
The captain of that flight

paid a high price
for being cautious.

Gebert: This seriously affected
the pilot's career.

Narrator: He was never chosen
to fly for the president again.

Gebert: There was no direct
pressure from the president.

But we all know, and certainly
the pilots remembered,

what happened when the pilot
refused to land in Tbilisi.

Polish Investigator: He probably
didn't want to lose his job.

Protasiuk: Mr. Director,
the fog has rolled in.

We'll make an attempt,
but it probably won't work.

Narrator: No one wants
to disappoint a president.

Though Protasiuk knew
landing was risky,

he may have wanted
to show his passengers

that he was willing to try.

Lasek: To be clear,

this person did not
give any instructions,

but just his presence
in the cockpit

interrupted the work flow,

the decision making and
communication among the crew.

Controller:
Polish air force 101,

we have fog.

Visibility is 400 meters.

Protasiuk: Understood.

Polish air force 101.

Narrator: Having to communicate
with the tower in Russian

only made things
more stressful.

Narrator: All the pressure
may have led the captain

to make a fatal mistake.

Protasiuk:
Continuing our approach.

If we're unsuccessful,
we'll go around on autopilot.

Narrator: He plans to engage the
autopilot's "go around" function

to climb away from the airport
if he doesn't like what he sees.

Pushing the "go around" button

should quickly
increase power to the engines,

enabling the plane to climb.

Narrator: But that can't work
at this airport.

Lasek: The key error

was the assumption that
it would be possible to climb

in autopilot mode.

Narrator: For the "go around"
function to work,

the autopilot
must work with something

called an instrument
landing system, or ILS,

at the airport.

But Smolensk airbase
no longer has one.

Computer alarm:
Terrain, terrain. Pull up.

Navigator: 100 meters.

Computer alarm: Pull up.
Terrain, terrain, pull up.

Protasiuk: We are leaving
for a go-around.

Narrator: Protasiuk
waited five seconds

for the plane
to climb out on its own

before realizing
he'd made an error.

Navigator: 90 meters.

Narrator: By the time
he realizes his mistake,

it's too late.

There's no dispute--

the crew mishandled
the approach.

But Polish investigators

don't think they are
the only ones at fault.

Controller:
Approaching outer marker.

On course.

Narrator:
The air traffic controllers

were responsible for guiding
the plane to a safe landing.

They knew visibility
was extremely poor,

so why did they go along
with Protasiuk's plan

to make a trial descent?

Controller:
Polish 101 acknowledge.

Polish air force, we have fog.

Visibility is 400 meters.

Narrator: Polish investigators

need to know more about how
Russian air traffic control

may have contributed
to the tragedy.

Miller: There's no doubt
that the air traffic controller

has a vital role,

especially when the clouds
and fog are so bad

that you can't see the ground.

Michalak: Temperature
and pressure, please.

Controller:
Temperature is plus two.

Pressure is 7-4-5.

We do not have
landing conditions.

Narrator: The investigators
are surprised to discover

that even though
the air base knew

it would be handling a very
important flight that day...

Controller:
Are you at 500 meters?

Narrator: ...the controllers
seem unprepared to receive it.

Interviews with the Russian
air traffic controllers

reveal that they had difficulty
tracking the plane

on its descent.

Controller: We asked him to
report his altitude.

Lasek: The Smolensk airport

is a very
poorly equipped airport.

Controller: Polish air force,

are you at 500 meters?

Protasiuk:
We are at 500 meters.

Narrator: The controllers
had to rely on the captain

to report his altitude.

Polish investigators speculate
that the equipment in Smolensk

wasn't providing a clear image
of the plane's location.

The controller could not be sure
if the plane was on course.

Controller:
Approaching outer marker.

On course.

Miller:
The controller confirmed

that the plane
was on the flight path.

The moment it went
below the flight path,

the risk of disaster
rose dramatically.

Narrator:
The controller confirmed

the plane was on
the correct approach path

when, in fact,
it was dangerously low.

Lasek: There's no doubt that
the airport was not ready.

Narrator:
The thickening fog

only increased the level
of tension and confusion

in the control tower.

Controller: I just don't think
we should bring him in.

It makes no sense right now.

Narrator: Before the president's
plane reached the airport,

the controllers knew it would be
almost impossible to land.

But they didn't
have the authority

to turn the jet away.

Controller: We have to find
an alternate for the poles.

We just don't have the weather.

Polish Investigator: They
didn't want the plane to land.

Lasek: They tried
to convince their superiors

that this airplane should be
redirected to another airport

before they even started
the landing procedure.

Stepchenkov:
The decision whether or not

the President of Poland's
should fly to Russia's

and where he should land
is not made in Smolensk.

It is not made
by the head of flight operations

or by the air traffic
controllers.

But the fact is
that the conditions

did not permit
any kind of plane to land,

especially
a plane full of VIPs.

Narrator: The controller was
waiting for captain Protasiuk

to make the decision
not to land.

Controller: We do not have
landing conditions.

Protasiuk:
Continuing our approach.

If we're unsuccessful,
we'll go around on autopilot.

Controller: It's his call.

Let them continue on their own.

Lasek: I think that the same
indirect pressure

that was experienced
by the captain

of the TU-154 aircraft

was shared
by the ATC controllers

because of the nature
of this flight.

Stepchenkov: It all happened
because of outside forces.

The crew and the group
of flight operators,

they became hostages
of the situation.

Narrator: Although both reports

criticize the actions
of the pilots,

the Polish report goes further,

criticizing the Smolensk airport
for its poor performance.

Controller:
Approaching outer marker.

On course.

Miller: The fact they confirmed
that the flight path was correct

when it wasn't

may have been because
their equipment was faulty.

Gebert: The Russians
were much more evasive

than the poles.

Poles frankly
took on their responsibility

the way the Russians
did not take up theirs.

Narrator:
In the wake of the disaster,

the special regiment assigned
to transport Polish officials

is disbanded.

In July 2011,

15 months after the crash,

Poland's interior minister
Jerzy Miller

presents his findings
to the world.

The Russians dispute
his report's conclusions

about Smolensk
air traffic control.

Despite two reports
to the contrary,

deep suspicions persist,

including the belief that
the president was assassinated.

Gebert: You have people

who are desperately trying
to understand what happened

and they're given information

they're not qualified
to assess.

I mean, I'm not qualified
to assess information

of the Russian
or the Polish commission

or of the counter experts.

I'm not an expert.

So finally I have to decide
whose experts do I trust?

Narrator: In the end,

two historic adversaries managed
to put aside their differences

and work together
for a common goal.

Miller: The goal is simple.

Every accident
must teach us a lesson...

How to train the crew

to make safety
their highest priority

when making decisions.

Unfortunately,
learning that lesson

has come at a very high cost.