Robert Marek Grzywna

**Robert Marek Grzywna** (February 8th, 1974 - April 10th, 2010) was a major in the Polish Air Force who died in the Smolensk air disaster in 2010. He was referred to as being talented and very ambitious by many of the residents in Chocianów. He was nicknamed *Krzewi*.

## Biography

Robert Grzywna was born on February 8th, 1974 in Jelenia Góra, a city in southwest Poland to Kazimierz Grzywna, his mother's name is unknown. He lived in Chocianów until 1989 when he graduated from primary school. At an early age, he developed an interest in aviation, telling everyone he was going to become a pilot. He developed other interests such as making his first ski runs on the ski slopes in Szklarska Poręba. In 1989, Grzywna graducated from Primary School No. 2 in Chocianów.

In 1993 he graduated from the Aviation High School in Dęblin, after graduating he stayed at the School of Eaglets, also known as the Air Force Academy in Dęblin, majoring in jet pilotage. On June 28th, 1997, he was promoted to the first officer rank of second lieutenant, that same year, while he was still studying, he joined the 36th Special Transport Aviation Regiment and moved to Warsaw with his family. From July 2007 he served as a Section officer, and from 2009 as a crew commander.

In 2003, Grzywna graduated with a master's degree in Air Traffic Management at the National Defense University in Warsaw, he was also awarded the Bronze Medal for Merits for National Defense for his impeccable military service. From 2008-2010 he made 13 flights to Russia and Ukraine. In 2008 he underwent training as a navigator and as a co-pilot in 2008-2009.

On August 12th, 2008, he was the navigator 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 2009, he underwent specialist training in precision and non-precision approach procedures flying Embraer 175s organized by Swiss AviationTraining Ltd. from Zurich. The training was related to the project of purchase of VIP transport planes, which was not finalized.

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.

Grzywna was a first-class military pilot and was licensed to fly during the day and night in IMC conditions as a co-pilot and licensed to fly during the day and night in IMC conditions as a crew commander on the Yak -40 aircraft. At the time of his death, Grzywna had a total flight time of 1,939 hours, of which 506 hours were on the Tu-154M, including 160 hours as a co-pilot and 346 hours at the navigator's station. Grzywna was married and had a seven-year-old daughter named Martyna (at the time of his death).

## Death

Grzywna 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 the co-pilot.

On April 25th, 2010, he was buried with military honors in the Smolensk Headquarters at the Powązki Military Cemetery, with three other members of the aircraft crew flight engineer Andrzej Michalak and flight attendants Barbara Maciejczyk and Natalia Januszko.

In 2010 Robert Grzywna's tombstone at the Military Cemetery in Powązki, together with the tombstones of 27 other people buried there, became an integral part of the memorial to the victims of the Smolensk crash, unveiled on November 10th, 2010.

## Awards

* Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2010, posthumously)
* Title of an honorary citizen of Lower Silesia Civi Honorario (2010, posthumously)
* Bronze Medal for Merits for National Defence (2003)

## Gallery

Grzywna in the back, waiting to be awarded by the commander of the Polish Air Force, Lieutenant General Andrzej Błasik
## References

1. ↑ https://chocianow.com.pl/pl/11\_wiadomosci/12658\_chocianow-pamieta-mija-10-rocznica-katastrofy-smolenskiej-w-ktorej-zginal-major-robert-grzywna.html
2. ↑ https://www.salon24.pl/u/rossonero/389500,major-grzywna-dla-znajomych-krzewi
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://archive.is/20121221084557/http://lotniczapolska.pl/Zaloga-Tupolewa-z-36-splt,12748
4. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20181005154712/http://archiwalny.mon.gov.pl/pl/artykul/9048
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 *Last flight. Disaster Cause Report* . Warszawa: Prószyński i S-ka, 2011, p. 63. ISBN  978-83-7648-924-7
6. ↑ http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/3/9193/m9193303.pdf
7. ↑ http://stary.naszdziennik.pl/index.php?dat=20120427&typ=po&id=po03.txt
8. ↑ https://archive.is/yonA
9. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20130120050916/http://sp.mil.pl/pl/aktualnosci/1-aktualnosci/740-piloci-prezydenckiego-tu-154m
10. ↑ https://www.smolensk.muzhp.pl/index.html%3Fp=350.html
11. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20170701212132/http://www.mak.ru:80/russian/investigations/2010/tu-154m\_101.html
12. ↑ 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
13. ↑ http://www.polskieradio.pl/5/3/Artykul/274215,Odsloniecie-pomnika-Pustka-i-zal-
14. ↑ https://umwd.dolnyslask.pl/urzad/aktualnosci/artykul/marszalek-marek-lapinski-uczcil-pamiec-ofiar/?no\_cache=1&cHash=4c923d09499e3d19fed1b5c00f5272bb