Kaczynski's plane pilots were under pressure, says expert

The presence of Poland's Air Force chief Lt.-Gen. Blasik in the cockpit of the Polish president's moments before it crashed near Smolensk had a big influence on the pilots, aviation expert Tomasz Gypki told the Polish television channel TVN24. In his view, unauthorized personnel in the cockpit always complicates the situation. "In this case, one can assume that the presence of the general influenced the crew, even if there was no direct pressure from his side. Generally speaking, the pilots acted under pressure from Gen Blasik. According to reports, the pilots realized very well that they were going below the allowed altitude and were even counting meters -- 100, 90, 80, etc.. According to Tomasz Gypka, this is simply unacceptable in the conditions when the runway is not in sight, and every pilot knows it. The Tu-154 crew's actions were generally irresponsible, maintains the expert.