While this is sad... to anyone who knows anything about airplanes, it's not exactly unexpected.
They were flying a Tupolev TU-154. Basically, a death trap. The Boeing equivalent, the 727, stopped production for passenger service in the U.S. back in 1984!
Based on the information available, before what happened today, the Polish president had previously over ridden the pilot and air traffic control on two occasions and ordered a landing in unsafe conditions.
They were making their FOURTH attempt to land, rather than divert to Minsk or Moscow. I wonder who ordered them to land (see above!).
A tragedy? Sure. Avoidable? Absolutely!
(oh yea, it's my first post. lurked here a while, but just like reading, not posting -- but I know a lot about airplanes and air travel....ha)