. . .Russian investigators are thought to believe that pilot error was behind the plane crash. Air traffic controllers at the Smolensk military airport advised the crew not to try to land because of thick fog, which significantly limited visibility, and suggested flying to Minsk or Moscow instead.

The pilot, Arkadiusz Protasiuk, however, ignored the request and attempted to land in spite of difficult weather conditions. His fourth attempt to land ended in tragedy.

Tomasz Pietrzak, Protasiuk’s colleague and also a pilot of government Tu-154s, says that so far there has been no evidence that the Polish plane tried to land more than once. Pietrzak assured that Protasiuk was an excellent pilot and suggested that the military airport in Smolensk, which is too small for civilian craft, should not have been assigned as a landing spot for the Polish Tu-154.

“If an airport is not adjusted to serve its specific duties, it should be closed down,” said Pietrzak, adding that the crew did not receive a firm order to divert to an alternative airport but a mere suggestion to do so.