Leipzig DHL plane crashes: expert considers attack rather unlikely

Vilnius/Leipzig - Following the crash of a cargo plane that took off from Leipzig in Lithuania, investigators recovered the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) from the wreckage on Tuesday. Investigators hope that the data they have secured will soon help to clarify the cause of the accident.

A torn-off Boeing 737 engine lies in the garden of an apartment building. Shortly before the crash, the pilot is said to have tried to pull the aircraft up.
A torn-off Boeing 737 engine lies in the garden of an apartment building. Shortly before the crash, the pilot is said to have tried to pull the aircraft up.  © imago

While German politicians fueled speculation of a possible attack on Monday, Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda warned against overly wild speculation yesterday.

The suspicion of a possible act of sabotage should not be overemphasized, but neither should it be played down, he explained.

Previously, aviation expert Paulius Kazakauskas had analyzed various video recordings of the crash of the Swift Air plane flying for DHL in a broadcast on the Lithuanian news portal "15min" and found no evidence of a terrorist attack.

Among other things, he pointed out that the Boeing 737-400 was on a stable flight path until it hit the ground and that the pilot tried to pull the nose of the plane upwards shortly before the crash.

Kazakauskas considers technical failure or pilot error to be more likely than a terrorist attack.

Three occupants of the plane still in hospital

The crash site in Vilnius - Investigators retrieved the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the wreckage of the crashed cargo plane yesterday.
The crash site in Vilnius - Investigators retrieved the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the wreckage of the crashed cargo plane yesterday.  © Mindaugas Kulbis/AP

The "black box" and voice recorder that were recovered from the wreckage in the morning may shed light on this.

Investigators also filmed the crash site, which is only one and a half kilometers from Vilnius Airport, over a wide area using drones. The public was called upon to provide the authorities with videos of the crash.

The pilot (48) was killed in the accident early on Monday morning.

The co-pilot suffered serious injuries. Both are Spanish. Two DHL employees from Lithuania and Germany who were part of the crew were taken to hospital with injuries.