DHL cargo plane crashes in Lithuania: Investigators achieve first success
By Alexander Welscher
Vilnius (Lithuania) - Following the crash of a DHL cargo plane from Leipzig in Lithuania just over two weeks ago, investigators have made important progress in the search for the cause of the accident.
According to the authorities in Vilnius, the contents of the flight data recorder and voice recorder of the Swift Air aircraft, which was on its way from Leipzig to Vilnius on behalf of DHL, have been secured.
The data from the two devices - each also known as a black box - had been successfully read out in the flight recorder and avionics laboratory of the Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU), a spokesperson for the Lithuanian Ministry of Justice told the German Press Agency.
The information obtained is now being analyzed.
The flight data recorder records the flight data, the voice recorder the conversations in the cockpit. In the course of the complete transcription of the communication in the cockpit, the pilots' conversations would have to be translated, as they would have spoken to each other in Spanish.
However, the preliminary analysis of the data from both flight recorders has not yet revealed any signs or indications of unlawful interference with air traffic, the spokesperson said.
Crash in Lithuania: Preliminary interim report before Christmas?
The investigators reconstructed a preliminary picture of the aircraft's flight path. In order to recreate the entire flight and the last few minutes before the crash as accurately as possible, however, additional calculations using position and flight behavior models are still required, the spokesperson said.
He assumed that a comprehensive final report would probably not be ready until the end of 2025. However, a short preliminary interim report could possibly be published before Christmas.
The cargo plane crashed into a residential area near Vilnius Airport on the morning of November 25 shortly before its planned landing and crashed on the ground. One of the four crew members was killed.
The Lithuanian authorities launched an extensive investigation after the crash and have interviewed around 30 people so far, according to their own statements.
The two crew members from Germany and Spain who were injured in the crash were taken to their home countries for further medical treatment . There was no further information on their condition.