2003 Polish Air Force Mi-8 crash
Encyclopedia
On December 4, 2003, a Polish Mi-8
helicopter operated by the 36th Special Aviation Regiment
with Poland's Prime Minister Leszek Miller
on board crashed near Piaseczno
, just outside of Warsaw
.
The helicopter suffered extensive damage and was written off as a total loss, after the pilot performed an autorotation
landing in a forest following the failure of both engines. The cause of the engine failure was determined to be icing
.
Fortunately, given the severity of the crash, there were no fatalities, but 14 of the 15 people on board were injured, including Leszek Miller, who had two of his thoratic vertebrae
broken. The pilot of the helicopter was major Marek Miłosz, later promoted to lieutenant colonel.
On March 10, 2004 Miłosz was criminally charged with violating flight safety rules and causing the crash. Specifically, the pilot was blamed for not turning on manually the deicing equipment during the flight. The pilot argued that the meteorologic information available to him at the time did not indicate that icing was likely, and hence he was not required to turn on the deicing equipment. He was consulting a thermometer during the flight, but it suffered from a systematic measurement error and hence was not able to warn adequately of icing. In addition, during the flight an unusual weather phenomenon of thermal inversion occurred, with temperature rising with altitude, which the pilot could not have predicted.
In March, 2010 the 6 year trial ended with the verdict of not guilty. The judge in the case noted the pilot expertly carried out the difficult autorotation landing and that the passengers survived because of his superb piloting skill. Leszek Miller declared that if he had to fly again in a helicopter in difficult atmospheric conditions, he would choose Miłosz as his pilot.
The helicopter was 26 years old at the time of the crash, and was nearing the end of its service life. It belonged to the 36th Special Aviation Regiment
responsible for transporting Polish government officials.
Mil Mi-8
The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. The Mi-8 is the world's most-produced helicopter, and is used by over 50 countries. Russia is the largest operator of the Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopter....
helicopter operated by the 36th Special Aviation Regiment
36th Special Aviation Regiment
The 36 Specjalny Pułk Lotnictwa Transportowego 36 SPLT is a special aviation regiment of the Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, established in 1945. All of its aircraft are for national public use, the most important being transport of Polish politicians and MON highest officials &...
with Poland's Prime Minister Leszek Miller
Leszek Miller
Leszek Cezary Miller is a Polish central-left-wing politician, leader of the Democratic Left Alliance , Prime Minister of the government of the Republic of Poland in 2001-2004.-Childhood and youth:...
on board crashed near Piaseczno
Piaseczno
Piaseczno is a town in central Poland with 32,610 inhabitants .It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship, approximately 16 kilometers south of Warsaw. It is a popular residential area and a suburb of Warsaw and is strongly linked to the capital, both economically and culturally...
, just outside of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.
The helicopter suffered extensive damage and was written off as a total loss, after the pilot performed an autorotation
Autorotation (helicopter)
Autorotation is the state of flight where the main rotor system of a helicopter is being turned by the action of air moving up through the rotor rather than engine power driving the rotor...
landing in a forest following the failure of both engines. The cause of the engine failure was determined to be icing
Icing conditions
In aviation, icing conditions are those atmospheric conditions that can lead to the formation of water ice on the surfaces of an aircraft, or within the engine as carburetor icing. Inlet icing is another engine-related danger, often occurring in jet aircraft. These icing phenomena do not...
.
Fortunately, given the severity of the crash, there were no fatalities, but 14 of the 15 people on board were injured, including Leszek Miller, who had two of his thoratic vertebrae
Thoracic vertebrae
In human anatomy, twelve thoracic vertebrae compose the middle segment of the vertebral column, between the cervical vertebrae and the lumbar vertebrae. They are intermediate in size between those of the cervical and lumbar regions; they increase in size as one proceeds down the spine, the upper...
broken. The pilot of the helicopter was major Marek Miłosz, later promoted to lieutenant colonel.
On March 10, 2004 Miłosz was criminally charged with violating flight safety rules and causing the crash. Specifically, the pilot was blamed for not turning on manually the deicing equipment during the flight. The pilot argued that the meteorologic information available to him at the time did not indicate that icing was likely, and hence he was not required to turn on the deicing equipment. He was consulting a thermometer during the flight, but it suffered from a systematic measurement error and hence was not able to warn adequately of icing. In addition, during the flight an unusual weather phenomenon of thermal inversion occurred, with temperature rising with altitude, which the pilot could not have predicted.
In March, 2010 the 6 year trial ended with the verdict of not guilty. The judge in the case noted the pilot expertly carried out the difficult autorotation landing and that the passengers survived because of his superb piloting skill. Leszek Miller declared that if he had to fly again in a helicopter in difficult atmospheric conditions, he would choose Miłosz as his pilot.
The helicopter was 26 years old at the time of the crash, and was nearing the end of its service life. It belonged to the 36th Special Aviation Regiment
36th Special Aviation Regiment
The 36 Specjalny Pułk Lotnictwa Transportowego 36 SPLT is a special aviation regiment of the Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, established in 1945. All of its aircraft are for national public use, the most important being transport of Polish politicians and MON highest officials &...
responsible for transporting Polish government officials.