04-11-2010, 06:36 PM
The Times article states that the TU-154 is "notoriously unsafe" but that is contradicted by the record:
On a note about the type of aircraft used, Paul Duffy, an expert on Russian aviation, stated in 2004 that in 28 crashes of the Tu-154 up to then, few were due to technical failure, and the hull-loss rate was normal for the number in service, the number of years it has been operated, and for the technology of the aircraft.[44]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Polish...-154_crash
It seems like a case of "get-there-itis" either on the part of the pilot of the aircraft or the President himself.
On a note about the type of aircraft used, Paul Duffy, an expert on Russian aviation, stated in 2004 that in 28 crashes of the Tu-154 up to then, few were due to technical failure, and the hull-loss rate was normal for the number in service, the number of years it has been operated, and for the technology of the aircraft.[44]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Polish...-154_crash
It seems like a case of "get-there-itis" either on the part of the pilot of the aircraft or the President himself.