The authorities in Lithuania have identified a preliminary cause for the crash of a DHL cargo plane: it may have been due to technical failure.
The Boeing 737-400 operated by DHL, which was on a flight from Leipzig to Vilnius, crashed while approaching the airport in the Lithuanian capital. It struck a nearby house on Monday morning, resulting in the death of one crew member and injuries to two others.
The crash of the DHL cargo plane is related to "technical issues," stated Vilmantas Vitkauskas, the head of the National Crisis Management Center (NKVC), in an interview with LRT. He clarified that "it's too early to say anything more definitive, as only a few hours have passed since the incident."
Earlier reports indicated that authorities had launched an investigation, considering both technical causes and human factors, as well as the possibility of a terrorist act.
The official specified that the plane did not hit a residential building but crashed nearby. Following the incident, a fire broke out, and 12 people were evacuated from the house.
One eyewitness, who identified herself as Svaya, recounted that her room was filled with bright red light, followed by an explosion, flashes, and black smoke.
I saw a fireball. My first thought was that World War III had begun, and it was time to grab documents and run to a shelter, to the basement.Svaya eyewitness to the DHL plane crash
"As for the injured crew members, one was found without signs of life, and two were rescued and taken to the hospital, where they are receiving initial medical assistance," said Vitkauskas.
According to Lithuanian officials, the deceased was a member of the flight crew but not the pilot. Firefighters freed two pilots from the cockpit, one of whom sustained more serious injuries.
Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24, analyzed by the Associated Press, showed that the plane made a turn to the north of the airport while preparing to land before crashing just over 1.5 kilometers from the runway.
The aviation disaster occurred around 5:30 AM local time. The temperature at the airport was near zero, it was cloudy before sunrise, and the wind was blowing at 30 km/h.
DHL Group, headquartered in Bonn, Germany, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The DHL aircraft was operated by Swiftair, based in Madrid. The Boeing 737 was 31 years old, and experts consider it an older aircraft, although this is not unusual for cargo flights.