President Andrzej Duda's flight to Rzeszów to greet Joe Biden on March 25, 2022, encountered a serious malfunction. After a few dozen kilometers, the plane was forced to turn back to Warsaw. The pilot reported a technical failure. Passengers, including ministers and military personnel, described extreme turbulence, significant stress, and fear.
The crew urged passengers to return to their seats and fasten their seatbelts before initiating an emergency landing back to Warsaw. A person described as 'green and terrified' emerged from the cockpit, providing no explanation to the passengers. The pilot reportedly struggled to maintain control, eventually reporting an emergency and stabilizing the plane for a safe landing at Warsaw's Okęcie Airport.
Although everyone survived and the President downplayed the incident, the event triggered an investigation which revealed an issue with the stabilizer trimmer. The incident raised concerns about the safety of the presidential aircraft, particularly in light of the past Smolensk tragedy and its similarity to the Boeing 737 Max groundings. The article highlights the fear and post-landing anger amongst those onboard, along with an unexpected lack of immediate scrutiny of the incident from the public or the Americans.