The cockpit transcripts shows pilots received numerous warnings
from on-board systems to regain altitude during the final minute before the
crash.
Below are key parts of the 40-page transcript, as translated
by Reuters from Polish:
10:11:01 SECOND PILOT: No, one can see the ground ... Something
is visible ... Maybe there'll be no tragedy.
10:17:40: PILOT: It's not good, the fog has descended. One
doesn't know if we will land there.
FLIGHT ATTENDANT: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED: And if we don't, then what?
PILOT: We will re-ascend.
10:23:59 AIR CONTROL: What other airport options do you
have?
PILOT: Vitebsk, Minsk (in Belarus)
10:25:01 PILOT: Thank you, if it's fine, we will try
landing, but if weather conditions are bad we will re-ascend to make a second
circle.
10:25:12 AIR CONTROL: If you try to land, will you have
enough fuel to (get to) the backup (airport)? PILOT: We will have enough.
10:26:05 SECOND PILOT: Well, they (*) succeeded.
They also say there is fog...
PILOT: Director (**), there is fog...
Right now, in these (weather) conditions, we will not be
able to land.
We will try to land, will make one attempt, but probably
nothing will come out of it. If it occurs (unintelligible) what do we do? We
don't have enough fuel to...
(unintelligible).
KAZANA: Well then we have a problem.
PILOT: We can stay up for 30 minutes and then go to the backup
(airport).
10:29:40 1st POLISH PLANE: The Il (***) was trying to land
twice and I think they flew somewhere else.
SECOND PILOT: Ok, I get it, thanks. Did you hear? PILOT:
Nice.
10:30:32 MARIUSZ KAZANA: So far there is no decision from
the president on what to do next.
10:32:55 PILOT: We are attempting to land.
If we fail to land, we are re-ascending on autopilot.
10:35:22 AIR CONTROL: From 100 meters be ready to re-ascend
for a second loop.
PILOT: Roger.
10:38:00 UNIDENTIFIED: (S)he will be annoyed if...
(Unintelligible)
10:40:06 WARNING SYSTEM: TERRAIN AHEAD, TERRAIN AHEAD
10:40:32 WARNING SYSTEM: TERRAIN AHEAD, TERRAIN AHEAD
10:40:39 WARNING SYSTEM: TERRAIN AHEAD, TERRAIN AHEAD (100
meters)
10:40:42 WARNING SYSTEM: PULL UP, PULL UP
10:40:44 WARNING SYSTEM: PULL UP, PULL UP
10:40:46 WARNING SYSTEM: TERRAIN AHEAD, TERRAIN AHEAD (100
meters)
10:40:49 SECOND PILOT: As normal (90 meters) WARNING SYSTEM:
PULL UP, PULL UP (80 meters)
10:40:50 SECOND PILOT: We are re-ascending
10:41:51 WARNING SYSTEM: PULL UP, PULL UP (60 meters) (50
meters)
10:40:52 (air control urges pilots to halt descent) (40
meters)
10:40:53 WARNING SYSTEM: PULL UP, PULL UP (30 meters)
10:40:54 (air control urges pilots to halt descent) (20
meters) 10:40:56 WARNING SYSTEM: PULL UP, PULL UP
10:40:58 WARNING SYSTEM: PULL UP, PULL UP 10:40:59 (sound of
hitting a tree)
10:41:00 SECOND PILOT: F_ _ _! WARNING SYSTEM: PULL UP, PULL
UP
10:41:02 AIR CONTROL: Re-ascend for second circle UNIDENTIFIED:
(shout) F_ _ _.
10:41:05 (transcript ends)
* Refers to a plane carrying Polish journalists which
had landed safely in Smolensk earlier that morning ahead of Kaczynski's plane.
** Refers to Mariusz Kazana, head of Poland's diplomatic protocol.
*** Refers to a Russian plane which tried to land in Smolensk
after the first Polish plane but failed due to thick fog. It flew to a
different airport.
