Smolensk Crash Four Years Later
Antoni Macierewicz Presentation - Synopsis.
SCND2014SCFYL

Key Findings Released on the Fourth Anniversary of the Smolensk Crash by the Polish Parliamentary Committee

On May 6, 2014, Honorable Antoni Macierewicz, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for the Investigation of the Crash of the Polish Air Force One, (“Committee”) together with three experts of the Committee presented the latest findings published in the Committee report entitled “Four Years after the Smolensk”. The presentation took place in the Klub Ronina in Warsaw and was recorded and posted on the internet by Blogpress here: http://bit.ly/1p828Uw. Parts of this presentation by Chairman Macierewicz are summarized below.

First, Chairman Macierewicz presented a little known photo of the left wing that was supposed to initiate the crash. This picture is reproduced below. An intact fragment of the left wing known as the very fragment that was supposed to be “cut off by the birch tree" is clearly visible on the left side. Most importantly, however, the picture reveals that the true destruction of the left wing that place primarily in the middle section of the wing, as clearly visible on the right side of this picture. Whereas the “cut off” portion of the left wing remained in one piece, the center segment of this wing was completely destroyed. It is shown below as a collection of fragmented debris destroyed not because of the collision with some sort of a birch tree at the leading edge of the wing, but rather, in the center of the wing, as a result of a phenomenon that can only be explained only as an explosion.

Every piece of this debris was properly identified and located at the crash site by the Current Analysis Group of the Committee. At least 3 fragments of this segment were located about 140 feet before the famous "armored birch tree".¹Other pieces were located much farther on, and closer to the first visible signs of the aircraft's contact with the ground (about 150 – 200 meters before the first collision mark). Accordingly, whatever happened to this part of the wing it must have taken place in mid-air without any contact with the ground.

The above picture is misleading however in one important respect. The largest piece of debris visible in the center of the disintegrated segment does not belong here. It belongs in fact to the right wing. By being placed in the center of the disintegrated part it mitigates the striking fragmentation of this entire segment of the left wing. It is beyond the shadow of a doubt that this dramatic disintegration of the center segment of the left wing took place in mid-air.

An important Russian document came to light almost four years after the crash. The document describes the condition of both wings and the wing center immediately after the crash. This is a protocol created during the process of removing the debris from the crash site and placing them on the concrete tarmac at the Smolensk airport. It was prepared by the Russian prosecutors on September 17, 2010.² The document contains a very detailed description of each piece of the aircraft debris that was moved. With respect to the wings the document states that both wings were destroyed as a result of an internal explosion that took place where the wings meet - at the center-wing section of the fuselage. The explosion blew up the wings from the inside as a result of hydraulic hummer impact - Russian experts wrote.³ According to the Russian experts, it was a shock wave that ignited the remaining fuel, forcing it to strike the outer wing skin⁴ and blew up the wing.

Of course this explanation is inadequate. An extensive examination of this very subject-matter was conducted by Dr. Szuladzinski and others who showed that such a phenomenon could not have taken place.

However, while pondering about this claim, yet another look was taken at the right wing and the place where this wing meets the fuselage - the center-wing. In connection with this allegation several photographs of the right wing from the crash scene were re-examined. How then the torn up skin of the wing looks like?

The photo below was taken on April 12, 2010, and shows the right wing upside down. The outer top skin is on the bottom, and the bottom skin⁶ is on the top. The charred, scorched, and torn outer skin at the bottom and on the right side near the center-wing is clearly visible.

The earliest photograph of this fragment of the aircraft was taken on the day of the crash - on April 10, 2010. This photograph is shown below. This photo shows the very same fragment of the right wing but from a different angle.

So, if there are any doubts that this outer skin⁷ within the center-wing area on the bottom right of this photo was blown up and charred, by examining pictures of this entire center wing area there should be no more doubts that we are in fact dealing here with fragments charred and burned as a result of an explosion.

Chairman Macierewicz presented this photo also for another reason. Many times the media including TV, various newspapers, radio commentators and officials who presented reports, various analyses and official statements, etc., emphasized that there was no detection of charring, burning, or any sings of explosion on any part of this aircraft. Thus, no such occurrence was detected. While pointing to the charred fragments on the bottom right side of this photo, he said: “If someone didn't notice such a huge fragment of the wing as this one, if someone refused to look, then he can say that indeed this aircraft was destroyed as a result of falling to the ground." Since the time these photos were shown on April 10, 2014, exactly on the fourth anniversary of the crash, experts from the Tusk Government try to explain that "indeed the explosion took place, but only after the plane hit the ground, because the fuel exploded, and parts of the aircraft were destroyed by fire".

The problem with this claim is such that the two video recordings taken at the crash site within several minutes of the crash, one made by Mr. Wisniewski and the other so-called "1:24 Video" or "Plonie Samolot Video," ⁸ prove that there was no fire in the location of the right and center wing part. There are no open flames in this place. Evidence of charring and explosion that can be seen in this and the earlier photo, is not caused by open flames. The fire took place in different locations. The evidence showing the charring debris is the result of other processes than fire. This is the result of an explosion.

Now, let us discuss the condition of the presidential compartment. What you see below is a diagram of the right side of the front part of the fuselage.⁹ A fragment marked with the letter "A" on this diagram, is shown on the next photo below at its physical location at the place of the tragedy.

A portion of the fuselage denoted on the diagram with red color represents a part of the Presidential Compartment and is marked as Fragment "C." The Presidential Compartment before the crash and charred parts of the Presidential Compartment after the crash marked as Fragment C can be seen on the photos below. The charred and burned parts represent the window in the Presidential Compartment.

The map below shows the place of the tragedy. The letter “C” at the bottom of the map, near Number 69, denotes the location where Fragment C of the Presidential Compartment was found after exploding outwardly. The larger Fragment A was marked above it, near Number 71. It is worth noting that the distance between Fragment A located near Number 71 and Fragment C located below Number 69 is at least 91 feet.¹⁰

The location of the body of the President of Poland Lech Kaczynski is recorded on this map with letter “P” located above and to the right of letter “A”. His body was thrown about 11 meters away from Fragment A. The location of the sofa from the Presidential Compartment as well as the parts of his arm chair were found next to each other, to the left of letter “C” on the map.

This analysis clearly demonstrated that the destruction of this specially constructed and reinforced Presidential Compartment was caused by an explosion. A clear evidence of the explosion around the interior side of the window in Fragment C is found on the photographs demonstrated above showing burned and charred parts. This evidence is supported by the analysis of the location of the debris from the Presidential Compartment on the crash site.

When the above analysis was published, experts of Prime-Minister Tusk stated that they didn’t know anything about the existence of these photos, suggesting that they were some sort of a forgery of unknown origin. They claim that they don't have such photos. However, they claim that they have between 1,500 and 1,800 photos. Thus, they claim that after analyzing at least 1,500 photos, they didn't find any of these photos. They do not recognize one photo in particular, the one showing the burned and charred window from the Presidential Compartment. This specific photo of a window from the Presidential Compartment is a part of the entire video evidence from the day of the crash. The photos below show the entire scene captured by that video.

These photos show Mr. Tusk to the left, Mr. Putin in the center, Mr. Shoygu to the right, and between Mr. Putin and Mr. Shoygu - the person in the middle - is former KGB general Mr. Sergey Ivanov. At the time of the crash, Ivanov was Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Chief of the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK/IAC). They all stand exactly above this blown-away Fragment C of the Presidential Compartment with the burned and charred window originally located above the armchair of President Lech Kaczynski, vis-a-vis his sofa.

Thus, the source of the window photo is self-evident. One section of this photo was isolated to show only the destruction of the wreckage for purposes of analyzing the process of destruction, the process of explosion in the presidential compartment.

The personalities converging over the wreckage of the Presidential Compartment were of no interest to the experts. However, if someone questions the authenticity of this photo, many of such photos can be found in the photo archives from the time when Putin, Tusk and their people inspected the crash scene. There are at least several dozens of such photos. They all show Mr. Putin, Shoygu, Ivanov and Tusk exactly above this part of the aircraft. They all very thoroughly surveyed this very place. At all times, they ought to be fully aware of the condition of the debris in front of them.

The work of the Current Analysis Group was very thorough. The experts analyzed additional several dozen of similar photos. Here is another such photo showing the three gentlemen walking near the debris of the Presidential Compartment.

What we see behind them is the very part with the charred window. This is exactly Fragment C. Above this fragment we can see a long "slot" of the leading edge of the wing. This slot fell down on top of the other parts, after the Presidential Compartment exploded. There are also earlier photos showing the Presidential Compartment. Having all this information, it is already possible to estimate the time of destruction of specific parts of this aircraft.

Footnotes:

¹ 40 meters.

² Protokół Oględzin Przedmiotów, m. Smoleńsk, dnia 17 września 2010 r. Zastępca Grupy Śledczej M. Smoleńska Zarządu Śledczego Komitetu Śledczego przy Prokuraturze Federacji Rosyjskiej. Document was summarized in „Cztery Lada po Smoleńsku,” See: http://bit.ly/1o8xE0U

³ Pol. "uderzenie hydrauliczne".

⁴ Pol. "poszycie" of the "Kason" [(http://bit.ly/1o8xQgR)]

⁵ Pol. "Poszycie górne"

⁶ Pol. "poszycie dolne"

⁷ Pol. " blachy"

⁸ Both videos were shot during the first 10-20 minutes after the tragedy at the exact place where the debris of the center-wing and wings are located.

⁹ Pol. "rysunek prawej burty".

¹⁰ 28 meters