Smolensk: Lies and Prejudice

Smolensk: I don't know what to think.

Compare: Polish "Deputy chairman of the Polish commission investigating the Smolensk catastrophe, Colonel Miroslaw Grochowski ... At some point, the Polish crew was left to fend for itself, which is criminal,” said Colonel Grochowski, referring to when [Russian] commander at the airport, Colonel Nikolai Krasnokutski says in the recording: “They are taking the decision [to land] on their own. Leave it to them."

With Russian regulations as outlined in the Russian report: "pilots-in-command of foreign aircraft operating in Russia, shall make a decision on the possibility of ... landing at destination aerodrome on their own, assuming full responsibility for the decision taken". There are other references stating that the Russian flight controllers were legally not permitted to interfere with the decision to land that day, but I can't be bothered going through the report again: the message is the same.

Please see Politics, Economy and Society for a link to the report. I am very grateful to the blog for raising Smolensk back from tedious monotony to something worth looking at further. (He may hate me for saying it this way, but I hope he will understand.)

The strange thing is that I have looked at a similar report many years ago. I can remember virtually nothing about it, apart from my interest in the concept of 'pilot error' when this was a strong emotional matter of contention about the pilot being 'guilty'. However,...

Bugger it, Kiepskich is on television. Bye.

[Comment the next day. I was not going to write anything on the Smolensk crash, but you know how it is: just a couple of glasses of Champers (or whatever) and your mood changes. I was going to abandon it, but decided just to go ahead. I didn't even proof check it then, which I have done this morning.]