Image
© Unknown
A report released by Russian investigators blames Poland for of the April plane crash which killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others.

The report released on Wednesday said that Russian air traffic controllers were not to blame for the April 10 plane crash. It said pressure exerted on the pilot by officials on board led to the disaster.

The investigation focuses on the commander of Polish air force, General Andrzei Blasik, who reportedly had a high level of alcohol in his blood when entering the cockpit before the crash.

Tatyana Anodina, the head of Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee -- a regulatory body overseeing aviation in several former Soviet countries -- said that psychologists, including those from Poland, found Blasik's presence behind the pilot's decision to take a fatal risk.

"On the one hand, (the pilot) knew the plane shouldn't be landing in adverse weather conditions," Anodina added.

"On the other, there was a strong pressure on board to bring the plane to a landing," she stated.

The general's presence "had a psychological influence on the commander's decision to take an unjustified risk by continuing the descent with the predominant goal of landing against the odds," Anodina noted.