Cockpit voice recordings, released by authorities in Russia today, prove an unlucky guess caused last Saturday's crash which killed many senior Polish politicians.
Prior to the crash, the sound of clinking glasses, singing and the telling of rude jokes can be heard but most telling are the final comments between the pilot and co-pilot.
Co-pilot: How many fingers am I holding up?
Pilot: 6.
Co-pilot: Ha, ha. No, 3 you idiot, you must be seeing double (hysterical laughter). I think you've had enough vodka.
Pilot: Get lost! I'm fine.
Co-pilot: (expletive deleted) look out for that tall tree!
Pilot: Which one? There's 2 of them!
At this point the recording ends abruptly.
"There was a 50/50 chance and the pilot tragically guessed wrong." said Poland's chief air investigator. "To think this whole tragic episode might have been avoided it he had simply closed one eye."
