Smolensk air disaster

The 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash occurred on 10 April 2010 when a Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft of the Polish Air Force crashed in the city of Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board. These included the President of Poland Lech Kaczyński and his wife Maria; the former President of Poland in exile Ryszard Kaczorowski, 18 members of the Polish parliament, and relatives of victims of the Katyn massacre.
They were "en route" from Warsaw to attend an event marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre. The site is about west of Smolensk. The pilots attempted to land at Smolensk North Airport, a former military airbase, in thick fog that reduced visibility to about . The aircraft was too low as it approached the runway as a result of confusing instructions from the traffic controler. Striking trees in the fog, it rolled upside down, struck the ground, broke apart, and eventually came to rest short of the runway in a wooded area.