Kazimierz Nowaczyk, a physicist who led the Polish commission investigating the 2010 Smolensk plane crash, died of pancreatic cancer on March 28, 2026.
Who Was Dr. Kazimierz Nowaczyk?
Kazimierz Nowaczyk was a physicist, a graduate of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry at the University of Gdańsk. He specialized in fluorescence and molecular spectroscopy.
He also worked for many years as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland in the USA.
Involvement in the Smolensk Investigation
From September 2010, Nowaczyk was involved in the work of a parliamentary team investigating the causes of the Smolensk disaster. In 2016, he became the first deputy chairman of the Sub-Commission for the Re-examination of the Smolensk Air Disaster.
In April of the following year, he was entrusted with the duties of chairman of the sub-commission. Several months later, Antoni Macierewicz became its head.
Antoni Macierewicz’s Farewell
Following Nowaczyk’s death, Antoni Macierewicz published a farewell message. The former Minister of National Defence recalled important information from the scientist’s life and emphasized his commitment to investigating the Smolensk disaster.
Recognition and Legacy
According to Macierewicz, Nowaczyk was persecuted in the 1980s for his activities in support of Polish independence. He was also awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, the Cross of Freedom and Solidarity, and many other awards and distinctions.
Macierewicz assessed that Nowaczyk’s work on explaining the causes of the Smolensk disaster was “of key importance,” and his attitude during his illness was “heroic.”