Criminal probe in plane crash continues

MOSCOW, April 8 (UPI) -- Russian investigators are going to Poland as part of a criminal investigation into the plane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski, officials say.

Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the investigative committee at the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office, said the trip should determine if the crew was properly briefed before the April 2010 crash that killed Kaczynski and 95 others, RIA Novosti reported.

The group will "take part in the questioning of Polish officials and military personnel responsible for the preparation of the plane and the crew for the flight," Markin said.

The Russia-based Interstate Aviation Committee in January placed the blame on Poland, but Polish experts said Russian air traffic controllers gave the pilots incorrect visibility and weather information before they started to land.

Russian authorities have complained Poland is too slow to respond to Moscow's requests for additional information on the accident, including the Polish panel's analysis of the Russian air traffic control transcripts.