Investigation blames human error for fatal crash of Su-22 military aircraft

Human error and not mechanical problems caused the fatal Su-22 crash in Powidz two weeks ago, Rzeczpospolita has learned. The tragic accident, in which two Polish air force pilots were killed, occurred when their plane was coming in to land in bad weather after a night exercise. Although the official report into the accident will not be published until Friday, one expert, who asked not to be named, is quoted as saying that the airport staff and perhaps even the pilots themselves appeared more concerned about saving the aircraft, rather than human life. He said that given the very poor weather conditions, and the fact that their fuel was quickly running low, the pilots should have tried to eject after their first attempt to land failed. The report lays some of the blame on the equipment at the airport, including the obsolete landing support system. As a result, the introduction of the new GCA 2000 system at five military airports may be brought forward. A final decision is expected before the end of the month. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A4) M.K.