# NTSB ENG10RA025: Tupolev TU154, N101, Smolensk, Russia, April 10, 2010

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Fatal · Foreign investigation
- Date: April 10, 2010, 06:56 local (06:56 UTC)
- Place: Smolensk, Russia
- Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Approach: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120)
- Highest injury: Fatal
- Injuries: 89 fatal
- Status: Led by another country's authority
- NTSB office: Aviation Engineering Division
- Lead agency: Other
- NTSB case key (mKey): 75887
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ENG10RA025
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/75887/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ENG10RA025

## Factual narrative

On April 10, 2010, about 0656 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), a Tupolev Tu-154M, Tail Number 101, operated by the Polish Air Force as flight PLF101, crashed during approach to the Military Aerodrom Smolensk "Severnyi", Russia. All 89 passengers and 7 flightcrew were killed, including the President of Poland. The airplane was destroyed by impact and postcrash fire. Following the accident, the governments of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Poland concluded a bilateral agreement that the regional international independent safety investigation organization, the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), would conduct the investigation. Although the airplane was operated as a "state" aircraft, by the mutual agreement, the investigation was conducted following the guidance provided in ICAO Annex 13 Standards and Recommended Practices. As the United States was state of design and manufacture for the TAWS and FMS units, the NTSB was requested to support the investigation activity. For more information on the accident investigation, contact MAK at mak@mak.ru.

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Approach: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120) (defining event)

## Aircraft

- Registration: N101 (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: TUPOLEV TU154 (M)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 101
- Damage: Destroyed
- Fire: On-Ground
- Operator: Polish Air Force
- Airworthiness certificate: Unknown
- Destination: XUBS, Smolensk
- Flight plan: Unknown
- Airport: XUBS, Smolensk Military Aerodrome

## Weather

- Conditions: Instrument (IMC), Day

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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