Court suspends sentence for police Black Hawk commander over 2023 power line strike

The court decision

A court in Ciechanów approved a request from the commander of a police Black Hawk helicopter to accept a penalty he had agreed to in advance, a procedure known as voluntary submission to punishment. The sentence is one year in prison, suspended for two years. The man must also pay a fine of 20,000 zł, which the ruling sets as 200 daily rates of 100 zł each, and he is barred from flying helicopters for two years. The court ordered him to pay 10,000 zł to the Fund for Victims' Aid and Post-Penitentiary Aid and imposed court costs of more than 19,000 zł. The prosecutor accepted the agreed terms and asked for the monetary payment. The verdict is not final, and the commander may appeal to the Regional Court in Płock.

What happened at Sarnowa Góra

The incident took place on 20 August 2023 during celebrations of the 103rd anniversary of the battle of Sarnowa Góra, near Ciechanów in the Sońsk commune, held under the honorary patronage of the Ministry of National Defence. During a low flight close to the participants, the police helicopter tore a lightning conductor wire from a power line that stood near people watching the aircraft. Nobody was hurt, but the episode created a serious threat to safety. Prosecutors charged the commander with failing to perform his duties and with causing a direct danger of an air disaster. Rzeczpospolita reported that the line fell onto parked cars, although it was not connected, and that the episode caused panic. The investigation, run by the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Płock, was extended several times, partly because the expert preparing the aviation opinion fell ill.

Repair costs and aftermath

Repairing the helicopter, including its main rotor blades, cost almost 2.5 million zł. RMF FM reported, citing the investigation findings, that the damage to the State Treasury and to Energa Operator was no less than 2.7 million zł. The pilot also faced a financial consequence equal to three months' salary. The helicopter was repaired and returned to service, and later took part in organ transports and operations on the Polish-Belarusian border. The commander retired after the incident, according to RMF FM and Rzeczpospolita.

Political link and crew record

Rzeczpospolita reported that the flyover had been arranged with help from the then deputy interior minister Maciej Wąsik. Wąsik told the paper that he had helped the village head organise the celebrations in previous years and this year. He said he attended only the Mass and left straight after it, so he did not see the incident. He also described the police pilot as an excellent officer with firefighting work in Turkey and the Czech Republic to his record.

“I helped the village head, I helped in previous years, I helped this year and I will help in future years organising patriotic celebrations.”

RMF FM separately reported that another pilot in the helicopter's crew had caused a fatal 2009 accident involving a Mi-24 near Inowrocław.