96 people died in last year's Smolensk tragedy Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

 Poor training and a lack of qualifications of the pilots flying the plane were important causes of the Smolensk tragedy, says the government's report on the matter, released today.

The long-awaited report on the April 10, 2010 plane crash just outside Smolensk, Russia that took the lives of President Lech Kaczyński and 95 others found the crash was caused by a “descent below the minimum allowed level, at excessive speed, in atmospheric conditions disabling eye contact with the ground.”

The report was highly critical of the 36th Regiment, the military squadron responsible for the technical preparations for the flight. The report said “improper” training of the pilots had a significant influence on the events of that day.

None of the pilots had the necessary qualifications to fly a TU-154 plane, while the navigator also lacked the proper qualifications, the commission responsible for the report found in its investigation. Only the flight engineer was properly qualified, it said.

The report also pointed to poor lighting at the Smolensk airport, which hampered the pilots' visibility, as another reason for the catastrophe.

The head air-traffic controller at the Smolensk airport was also blamed for giving the Polish crew false information, telling them they were “on course” when in fact the plane was already too low.

The commission found that at the time of the crash the pilots were attempting an approach and were not committed to landing during the maneuver.

“The pilots made the right decisions but were unable to take the proper actions,” said Interior Minister Jerzy Miller, who headed the commission.