Lithuanian Authorities Say Technical Issues May Have Caused DHL Cargo Plane Crash

The wreckage of the DHL cargo plane is seen at the crash site near Vilnius International Airport, Lithuania, on Nov. 25, 2024. Lukas Balandis/BNS via REUTERS

Authorities in Lithuania believe technical issues may have caused a DHL cargo plane to crash on Monday as it attempted to land at an airport in the capital city of Vilnius.

The plane, which took off from Leipzig, Germany, and was operated by airline Swiftair on behalf of DHL, crashed at around 5:30 a.m. local time, killing one person on board and injuring three more.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, officials said sabotage was not behind the crash, which came as Germany is probing a series of fires caused by incendiary devices hidden inside parcels at a warehouse located in Leipzig.

Earlier this week, Germany’s foreign minister said the latest incident involving the DHL plane was potentially either an accident or a hybrid attack that occurred during “volatile times.”

“With all we have and all we know, there are no signs that it could have been an act of sabotage,” Lithuanian Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas said.

The defense minister said visual analysis of the crash showed there was no external impact on the plane as it landed, while surviving crew members said there had been nothing to raise any alarm—such as smoke or a smell—before the plane crashed.

Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the country’s National Crisis Management Center, said officials probing the crash were leaning toward a technical cause for the incident.

He further noted that testing of Vilnius airport systems used to guide incoming aircraft found they were functioning as normal. The cargo plane did not utilize GPS when it was landing, and any interference with such signals was unlikely to have had an impact, he said.

“If we get additional data we might change our direction, but we don’t have it at the moment,” Vitkauskas told reporters.

NTSB Assisting in Plane Crash Probe

According to authorities, the plane that crashed on Monday was a 31-year-old Boeing 737-400.

Officials with Lithuania’s Fire and Rescue Department said that the aircraft skidded for a few hundred meters after hitting the ground. Flames then engulfed the wrecked plane, sending plumes of thick dark smoke into the air as fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze.

In a statement, DHL, which has launched its own investigation into the crash, said the plane “made a forced landing” roughly 1 km (0.6 miles) from Vilnius International Airport. The cause of the incident is unknown, the logistics company said.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officials confirmed that the individual who died in the crash was Spanish, while the remaining crew members consisted of a Spaniard, a German, and a Lithuanian. At least one of them is in critical condition.

No one on the ground suffered any injury when the plane crashed, according to police.

On Monday, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said it is leading a team of investigators from the United States to assist the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Division with their probe into the crash.

The board said the Lithuanian government will release any information on the investigation as and when it receives it.

Guy Birchall and Reuters contributed to this report.