1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Polish president, numerous dignitaries killed in plane crash

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by deskslave, Apr 10, 2010.

  1. deskslave

    deskslave Active Member

    There were MPs, bankers, historians, etc. on the plane, which crashed in the woods in Russia.

    Poland also has a prime minister, who it would appear is actually the functional head of state. Still, a pretty wild story.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8612825.stm
     
  2. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    Bankers? :D
     
  3. Point of Order

    Point of Order Active Member

    This isn't their first disaster. Not too long ago, a Polish helicopter went down, killing all on board. Apparently the pilot was cold so he turned off the fan. [/fasttraintohell]
     
  4. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    Story says that they were on way to memorial service to honor the death of 20,000 officers the Russian Army murdered during WWII. Seems like a lot of officers in one area.
     
  5. Machine Head

    Machine Head Well-Known Member

    The Katyn Massacre was ordered by the Soviet Politburo:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katyn_massacre
     
  6. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    Seemed like Poland runs their army like a bank - a lot of officers.
     
  7. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    From the AP story:
    What does this do to that country, stability-wise? Poland is probably better-equipped to deal with a tragedy like this than, say, Pakistan or some African backwater, but it's still got to make folks in Europe nervous. The potential for chaos is certainly there, especially once the conspiracy mill gets its ass in gear.
     
  8. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    They are going to have a hard time finding 3 guys to screw in a light bulb at this point.
     
  9. Brooklyn Bridge

    Brooklyn Bridge Well-Known Member

    The pilot tried to land at the same runway in heavy fog. Tried 3-4 times, but finally crashed. Don't know if that's the guy I want in the cockpit.
     
  10. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    Things went downhill when the pilot stepped outside to see if he could spot the runway.
     
  11. D-3 Fan

    D-3 Fan Well-Known Member

    Stepping away from the snarkiness for a moment, I'm not only shocked on how many top officials were on that plane, but it's stunning to me that they didn't keep a few of them home, in case if a situation like this were to happen.

    This is a huge blow to Poland. Just huge.
     
  12. MU_was_not_so_hard

    MU_was_not_so_hard Active Member

    Kind of along the same line, but why not put them on different planes. Here, when all the dignitaries need to travel to the same place, they come in in groups. Maybe that's American spending -- and everyone needing to feel important -- but there's something to be said for having a back-up plan.

    I hope for the best, given this horrible situation.
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page