On April 10 , 2010 , a Tu-154 military jet carrying Polish president Lech Kaczyński , his wife , and many notable political and military figures crashed in a wooded area near Smolensk while approaching the local military airport . All ninety-six passengers died immediately on impact . The purpose of the visit was to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre , in which some 22,000 Polish POWs were murdered by the NKVD
Tu-154 military jet carrying Polish president Lech Kaczyński
2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash
Smolensk