Poland: President killed by poor planning

WARSAW, Poland, March 9 (UPI) -- The plane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski in Russia could have been prevented by using another airport, a report released Friday said.

Kaczynski and 88 other senior officials were killed in the crash at the Smolensk airport on April 10, 2010, along with seven members of the plane crew. They were visiting the area for a ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Forest Massacre of Polish army officers in World War II.

The report by the Polish Supreme Audit Office said the Smolensk-Severny airfield was not inspected before the decision was made to send the president's plane there, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported. An inspection would have determined the field was not suitable for the presidential plane, a TU-154 made in Russia.

Kaczynski could have landed at another airport and traveled to Smolensk by helicopter, the report said.

Auditors said flight planning for top Polish officials violated procedures on many occasions between 2005 and 2010.