Poland

Crashed in unknown circumstances. Occupant's fate unknown.

Crashed in unknown circumstances. Crew fate unknown.

Crashed in unknown circumstances. Occupant's fate remains unknown.

Crashed in unknown circumstances somewhere in Poland.

Crashed in unknown circumstances. Occupant's fate unknown.

Crashed in unknown circumstances.

Following an uneventful flight from Warsaw, the crew started the approach to Szczecin-Goleniów Airport by night and relative good weather conditions. On final, the airplane lost height, struck trees and crashed in flames in a wooded area located few dozen meters short of runway threshold. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 18 occupants were killed, among them the Polish Minister of the Interior Wiesław Ociepka and the Czechoslovak Minister of the Interior Radko Kaska. Accompanied by a delegation of their respective ministry, they were en route to Szczecin to visit sea port installations.
Crew:
Maj Edward Jedynak, pilot,
Cpt Kazimierz Marczak, pilot,
Cpt Daniel Sterna, navigator,
Cpt Janusz Główka,
Sgt Tadeusz Błażejczyk.
Passengers (Polish Ministry of the Interior):
Wiesław Ociepka, Minister,
Col Czesław Karski,
Col Wiesław Zajda,
Maj Włodzimierz Strzelecki,
Maj Mieczysław Szumowski,
Włodzimierz Andrzej Wulkiewicz,
Mikołaj Stefan Tomala.
Passengers (Czechoslovak Ministry of the Interior):
Radko Kaska, Minister,
Michal Kudzej,
Col Jaroslav Klíma,
Lt Col Ladislav Hužvík,
Maj Olga Merunová,
Antonín Dufek.

Crashed in unknown circumstances somewhere in Poland prior to 3 May 1969. Crew fate unknown.

While descending to Kraków-Balice Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and a limited visibility due to heavy snow falls. At an altitude of 1,200 meters, the airplane struck trees and crashed in a dense wooded area located on Mt Polica, in the Babia Gora Mountain Range, near Zawoja. The wreckage was found few hours later about 150 meters below the summit and all 53 occupants have been killed. Due to poor visibility, the crew was unable to locate the mountain and at the time of the accident, the airplane was slightly off course.

Flight LO149 was a scheduled domestic flight from Warsaw to Wrocław. It took off from Warsaw at 1635 hours local time carrying a crew of 4 and 44 passengers. The flight was uneventful and about 10 minutes before reaching the Wrocław non-directional radio beacon, it was cleared by the Area Control Centre to descend from its cruising altitude of 4 500 m to 1 500 m and instructed to contact the Wrocław Control Zone. The Control Zone cleared the flight to 1 500 m, requested it to report when passing over the NDB - ETA 1722 hours - and gave it the latest weather information for Wrocław as being: cloud base 150 m, visibility 1600 m in light fog, wind 3000 to 310013 to 4 mfsec, QFE 765.5 mm. Hg. The altimeters were set at the correct setting and after having reported over the NDB the flight, which was descending towards the outer locator, was warned by the Control Zone that the visibility had deteriorated to 800 m, i.e. 300 m below the minimum authorized for landing at Wrocław Airport. However, the pilot continued to descend in the direction of the outer locator. At an altitude of 90 m the pilot-in-command ordered a reduction of engine power and flew over the outer locator at an altitude of 50 to 60 m instead of the prescribed 225 m. He reported over the outer locator and shortly thereafter was advised that the visibility had further deteriorated to 400 m and that fog had appeared. In spite of this information the pilot continued his approach and informed the Control Zone that he would try to land. After passing the outer locator the rate of descent of the aircraft was probably established at approximately 3 to 5 m/sec and the last altitude reported by the flight engineer was 30 m. Seven hundred metres beyond the outer locator the aircraft was levelled qff at a height of 10 m and both wings cut the tops of some trees. As a result of the impact part of the right wing (3 m long) and of its aileron were torn off from the aircraft and the aircraft went into a 400 bank to the right. Approximately 145 m from the point of contact with the trees, the right wing came into contact with the ground and left a trace 41 m long. The aircraft was then momentarily straightened up but the right wing dropped again, contacted the ground again and was further damaged. At approximately 350 m from the point of initial contact with the trees, the aircraft, still banked to the right, struck two 30 000 volt power lines breaking all six electric cables with its fuselage and left wing. It then flew over 5 railway tracks and struck with its right wing the five overhead electric traction cables as well as 25 wires of the railway signalling equipment located 60 cm above the ground. All cables and wires were broken and the right wing of the aircraft became entangled in the wires. This reduced the speed of the aircraft and straightened it up, but the angle strut of the right landing gear was damaged and the right landing gear folded backwards. After having travelled a short distance nearly level, with the left landing gear rolling on the ground, the nose gear and right propeller became detached and the aircraft turned slightly to the right, 141 m farther on the left landing gear struck a road embankment 70 cm high and immediately thereafter the aircraft struck a steel electric light pole on the road and bent it to the ground. The aircraft then made a 180° turn and came to a stop on the road at a point located 3.5 km before the threshold of the runway and nearly on the extended centre line of the runway. The accident occurred at 1730 hours.