Andrzej Michalak

**Andrzej Michalak** (May 3rd, 1973 - April 10th, 2010) was a warrant officer in the Polish Air Force who died in the Smolensk air disaster in 2010. He was posthumously appointed to the first officer rank of second lieutenant.

## Biography

Andrzej Michalak was born on May 3rd, 1973 in Rawa Mazowiecka. He graduated from a primary school in Nowe Miasto, in 1993, he graduated from the Mechanical Technical Secondary School in Rawa Mazowiecka. He continued his education at the School of Warrant Officers of the Air Force Technical Staff (SChPTWL) in Oleśnica, which he graduated from in 1996. In 2000, he completed his bachelor's studies at the University of Commerce and International Finance. In 2003, he obtained a master's degree in management and marketing at the Warsaw School of Management University.

He began his service in the 45th Aviation Experimental Squadron as an Aircraft Operations Key Technician in Modlin. On August 31st, 1998 he began military service in the 36 Regiment in Warsaw as an airframe and engine wrench technician. In 2006 he was awarded the Bronze Medal for Merits for National Defense. On December 15, 2008, he was approved to fly on the Tu-154M aircraft. From August 17th, 2009 he held the position of senior on-board maintenance technician.

In January 2010, he took part in humanitarian aid for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti, for which 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.

At the time of his death, Michalak had 330 hours of flight time on the Tu-154M. Michalak had a wife, Małgorzata, and a 6 month old son Julian.

## Death

Michalak died in the crash of the Polish Tu-154M plane in Smolensk on April 10th, 2010 on the way to the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre. During the flight, he served as an on-board technician (flight engineer) in the aircraft crew.

On April 15th, 2010, the Marshal of the Sejm, Bronisław Komorowski, acting as the President of the Republic of Poland posthumously appointed Michalak to the first officer rank of second lieutenant.

On April 24, 2010, he was buried with military honors in the Smolensk Headquarters at the Powązki Military Cemetery, with three other members of the aircraft crew first officer Robert Grzowna and flight attendants Barbara Maciejczyk and Natalia Januszko.

In 2010, Andrzej Michalak's tombstone at the Powązki Military Cemetery, along with the tombstones of 27 other people buried there, became an integral part of the memorial to the victims of the Smolensk crash which was unveiled on November 10, 2010.

## Awards

* Bronze Medal for Merit for National Defence "For contributions to the defense of the country" (2006)
* Posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2010)

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://archive.is/20121221084557/http://lotniczapolska.pl/Zaloga-Tupolewa-z-36-splt,12748
2. ↑ https://www.smolensk.muzhp.pl/index.html%3Fp=723.html
3. ↑ https://archive.is/A9V7
4. ↑ https://poranny.pl/andrzej-michalak-chorazy-sylwetka/ar/5304918
5. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20181005154644/http://archiwalny.mon.gov.pl/pl/artykul/9089
6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20110129040921/http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl:80/Wiadomosci/1,80708,7810586,Pogrzeby\_czlonkow\_zalogi\_TU\_154\_\_\_Teraz\_jak\_orly\_beda.html
7. ↑ https://www.polskieradio.pl/5/3/Artykul/274215,Odsloniecie-pomnika-Pustka-i-zal-