Investigators examine crashed plane’s recordings
By
DONALD FORBES
of Reuters
NZPA Warsaw A Polish Government team seeking reasons why a LOT airlines Ilyushin-62 crashed killing 183 people on Saturday have examined recordings of cockpit conversations and material from the aircraft’s flight recorder. The Transport Minister, Mr Janusz Kaminski, told the official PAP news agency that the analysis was still incomplete and that details would be given later. The Soviet-built airliner, on a charter flight from Warsaw to New York, exploded in a pine forest on the outskirts of
the capital as it tried to return to the airport 54 minutes after takeoff. Noone aboard survived. It was Poland’s worst air disaster.
The tape recordings are expected to explain why the pilot, Captain Zygmunt Pawlaczyk, aborted the flight and why he did not try to land the stricken airliner at a nearer airport. LOT has refused to confirm reports by aviation sources that Captain Pawlaczyk turned back with his starboard engines in flames when the Ilyushin was about 200 km north-west of Warsaw.
At the time, he was
very close to Grudziadz military airport and Gdansk on the Baltic coast was also nearer than Warsaw.
LOT’S director-general, Mr Jerzy Slowinski, said it was up to Mr Pawlaczyk as captain to decide where he would try to land.
The plane was only six kilometres from Warsaw airport when it came down but airline sources said Captain Pawlaczyk had already given up hope of reaching it. They reported that after having been on course for the main runway, the plane suddenly veered away, apparently as Captain Pawlaczyk
realised a crash was inevitable and wanted .to avoid hitting populated areas of the city. Mr Kaminski told PAP that the investigating commission had listened to tapes of the crew’s conversations with the control towers at Warsaw and with other airports as the aircraft tried to reach safety. The crash site has been sealed off as salvage workers recover the shattered remains of the victims.
Identification of most of the victims — 164 Poles and 17 Americans — is not expected to be possible.
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Press, 12 May 1987, Page 10
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346Investigators examine crashed plane’s recordings Press, 12 May 1987, Page 10
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