Black Boxes of Crashed Tu-154 Begin to Reveal Their Secrets

The first analysis of black boxes from the Polish plane that crashed in Russia killing President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others show pilot error was a cause of the tragedy, a report said Thursday.

Photo: Black Boxes of Crashed Tu-154 Begin to Reveal Their Secrets

"An analysis of the evidence, including the first results from the decoding of the black boxes, shows that an error in piloting led to the disaster," Russia's Interfax news agency quoted a source close to the investigation as saying, Inquirer reports.

Some Polish media have speculated that Kaczynski, in his determination not to miss the Katyn anniversary event, may have ordered the pilot to land but prosecutors looking into the crash have said there is no evidence so far to support that view.

The speculation is based in large part on an incident in 2008, when Kaczynski flew to Georgia to show his solidarity with the country during its brief war with Russia. He grew irate when his pilot refused to land in the capital Tbilisi because of safety concerns, later accusing him of cowardice for diverting to Azerbaijan and pushing for him to be fired, Reuters informs.