Accident | |
---|---|
Date | 15 November 1951 |
Summary | Engine failure, loss of control |
Site |
Tuszyn, Poland 51°34′49″N 19°30′24″E / 51.58028°N 19.50667°E |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Lisunov Li-2 |
Operator | LOT Polish Airlines |
Registration | SP-LKA |
Flight origin | Lublinek Airport |
Destination | John Paul II International Airport Kraków–Balice |
Passengers | 15 |
Crew | 3 |
Fatalities | 18 |
Survivors | 0 |
The 1951 LOT Li-2 Tuszyn air disaster occurred on 15 November 1951 when a LOT Polish Airlines Lisunov Li-2 flew into power lines near Tuszyn, crashed and burst into flames. All 15 passengers and 3 crew died. [1] It was the first LOT aircraft disaster since the end of World War II.
On 15 November 1951 a LOT Lisunov Li-2 was en route from Łódź to Kraków–Balice. Shortly after take-off while flying through Górki Duże near Tuszyn it flew into power lines, crashed and went into flames. [2] All 15 passengers and 3 crew died. The Captain of the flight was Marian Buczkowski, father of Polish actor Zbigniew Buczkowski. [2] The official cause of the disaster was attributed to bad weather conditions (low clouds and fog) and pilot's error. [2]
According to a journalist investigation, due to lack of documentation in LOT archives, the events leading to the crash might have been different. [2] The Li-2 flew in from Szczecin that day and after landing Buczkowski pointed out that one of the engines may be faulty and refused to fly again. [2] Threatened with a pistol by a Security officer who wanted to get to Kraków he reluctantly agreed. [2] Due to the faulty engine the plane stalled, tipped over the power lines and crashed into a field. [2]
On 27 November 2010 an obelisk was erected to commemorate Captain Buczkowski, the crew and passengers. [2]