Arkadiusz Protasiuk

**Arkadiusz Protasiuk** (November 13th, 1974 - April 10th, 2010) was a captain in the Polish Air Force who died in the Smolensk air disaster in 2010. He was described as a comprehensively educated officer, constantly expanding his knowledge and skills, not only in the field of aviation. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of major.

## Biography

Arkadiusz (Arak) Protasiuk was born in the city of Siedlce, Poland on November 13th, 1974. The son to Władysław Protasiuk and Lucyna Protasiuk. As a child, he and his family moved from Ząbkowice to Olkusz, a town in southern Poland.

In 1993 he graduated from the General Aviation High School in Dęblin, and in 1997 he graduated (with honours) from the Air Force Academy in Dęblin, known as *Eaglets School*. On June 28,th 1997 he was promoted to the rank of first officer at Orląt School in Dęblin, he was directed to continue his military service in the 36th Special Transport Aviation Regiment in Warsaw, as a senior pilot.

In 1999 Protasiuk graduated his master's studies at the Faculty of Journalism and Political Science of the University of Warsaw. In 2003, he graduated from post-graduate studies at the prestigious Cybernetics Department of the Military University of Technology.

From January 1st, 2002 to March 2, 2003, he held the official position as crew commander. In the period from March 3rd, 2003 to June 30th, 2004, he was a navigator, and then from July 1st, 2004, a section officer. Capt. Protasiuk was authorized to perform day and night flights according to IFR procedures in IMC conditions, as a crew commander on the Tu-154M aircraft. He had the same authorization to perform flights on the Yakovlev Yak-40 which was also used by the 36th Regiment.

In 2005, he completed a theoretical course for the ATPL(A) liner license in a certified training center of LOT Polish Airlines, preparing for international flights. In 2009, he underwent specialized training in precision and non-precision approach procedures on Embraer 175 aircraft organized by Swiss AviationTraining Ltd. from Zurich. The training was related to the project of purchase of VIP transport planes, which was not completed in the end.

On August 12, 2008, he was the co-pilot of a flight with President Lech Kaczyński to Georgia, during which the pilots refused to change the landing site from Ganja, Azerbaijan, to Tbilisi, Georgia.

In January 2010, he took part in humanitarian aid for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti, returning from Haiti on January 24th, 2010 he landed at night at the Warsaw Okęcie military airport in the Tu -154M aircraft with a damaged control block. On February 4, 2010, together with the other members of the 36 SPLT, he was awarded by the commander of the Polish Air Force, Lieutenant General Andrzej Błasik.

Capt. Protasiuk made 27 flights to Russia and Ukraine. In 2008 a total of 13 flights, 5 of those to Russia, to Ukraine 8. in 2009 a total of 11 flights, 6 of those to Russia, to Ukraine 5. In 2010 he flew to Russia 3 times. He was a member of the crew that flew on a mission to Haiti to help earthquake victims in January 2010.

In April 2010, he was on the crew of two flights from Warsaw to Smolensk, Russia, for the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre. On April 7, 2010, during the flight to Smolensk with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, he served as co-pilot  (the first pilot was Lt. Col. Pil. Bartosz Stroiński).

He was a master class pilot, had a first-class military pilot, was licensed to perform day and night flights according to IFR procedures under IMC conditions as a crew commander on Tu-154 M and Yak-40 aircraft, as well as test pilot qualifications of the 3rd class of Tu-154M aircraft. At the time of his death, Protasiuk had a total flight time of 3,528 hours, of which 2,937 hours were on the Tu-154M. He spoke fluent English and Russian. He was married to, Magdalena and had two children, a 4-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son (at the time of his death).

## Death

During the second flight on April 10th, 2010, he died in the crash of the Polish Tu-154M plane in Smolensk. During the flight, he served as the commander of the aircraft crew, although according to initial plans, the crew commander was to be Lieutenant Colonel Bartosz Stroiński, the pilot who was the crew commander during the flight on April 7th.

According to the final report of the State Aviation Accident Investigation Commission (KBWLLP), which investigated the causes of the disaster, on April 10th, 2010 Protasiuk did not have valid clearances to perform landings as commander of the Tu-154M aircraft in the ILS, NDB, VOR DME, PAR and RSL systems, and he did not have valid permissions to perform flights as commander of Tu-154M and Yak -40 aircraft.

On April 13th 2010, by the decision of the Minister of National Defense Bogdan Klich, he posthumously promoted Protasiuk to the rank of major.

On April 24th, 2010, he was buried with military honors at the municipal cemetery near Grodzisk Mazowiecki, in Szczęsne. During the funeral ceremonies attended by Mr. Lieutenant General Lech Majewski, representing the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army, the Air Force Representative Company fired a salvo of honor , and three military planes from the "Orlik" Aerobatic Team flew over the cemetery.

On September 9th, 2011, a monument dedicated to two pilots associated with the city, who died in plane crashes, was unveiled in Olkusz: Zdzisław Cieślik and Arkadiusz Protasiuk.

## Awards

* Knights of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2010)
* Bronze Cross of Merit (2007)
* Bronze Medal of Merit for National Defence (2005)

## References

1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100414144053/http://lotniczapolska.pl/Zaloga-Tupolewa-z-36-splt,12748
2. ↑ https://poranny.pl/arkadiusz-protasiuk-kapitan-pilot-sylwetka/ar/5304854
3. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20121029144209/http://www.mak.ru/russian/investigations/2010/tu-154m\_101/comment\_polsk.pdf
4. ↑ http://stary.naszdziennik.pl/index.php?dat=20120427&typ=po&id=po03.txt
5. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20141229160836/http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,114873,7796230,Gen\_\_Czaban\_\_Nikt\_nie\_szkoli\_pilotow\_\_zeby\_ryzykowali.html
6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120322115159/http://www.rp.pl/artykul/461409.html
7. ↑ https://archive.is/yonA
8. ↑ https://www.smolensk.muzhp.pl/index.html%3Fp=872.html
9. ↑ *Rings. A story about the family of Maria and Lech Kaczyński* . Warsaw: G+J Gruner+Jahr Polska, 2010, p. 14. ISBN  978--83-623-43-08-9
10. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20121006204725/http://www.sp.mil.pl/pl/aktualnosci/1-aktualnosci/740-piloci-prezydenckiego-tu-154m
11. ↑ https://niebieskaeskadra.pl/m/?control=8&id=7057&title=arkadiusz-protasiuk
12. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120328112018/http://mswia.datacenter-poland.pl/RaportKoncowyTu-154M.pdf
13. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20181005154644/http://archiwalny.mon.gov.pl/pl/artykul/9089
14. ↑ http://www.kurierpoludniowy.pl/wiadomosci.php?art=5451
15. ↑ http://www.gazetakrakowska.pl/fakty24/448609,olkusz-zony-pilotow-odslonily-tablice-zdjecia,id,t.html