NOS News•today, 1:36 PM
There are currently no indications in the investigation into the plane crash in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius that show a cause other than a technical problem or pilot error, the Lithuanian Public Prosecutor’s Office says. Both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder have now been secured, the so-called black boxes.
“Our initial information does not indicate any reason to investigate more serious activities,” prosecutor Arturas Urbelis said. He added that the investigation is still ongoing. “We could still come across indications of other activities.”
The Spanish Swiftair aircraft used by parcel delivery company DHL crashed yesterday morning around 5:30 am. A Spanish crew member was killed and three others were injured.
The investigation is in full swing. This morning, air traffic was halted for an hour. This allowed the police to film the area of the crash with drones.
Black boxes
A police chief said this morning that the on-site investigation could be completed in two or three days. The wreckage will be stored in a hangar.
The Lithuanian authorities are receiving help from German investigators because the plane took off from Leipzig. Twelve experts from the US (five of whom are from aircraft manufacturer Boeing) will also come to help. The police have indicated that they want to speak to the surviving crew members, but it is not known what their condition is.
After the crash, an inspection of the approach systems of Polish air traffic control was carried out. This also plays a role in incoming air traffic to Lithuania and therefore also in the research. The crashed plane flew over Poland.
Images from just after the crash:
DHL plane crashes near home in Lithuania
The Lithuanian authorities initially reported that the cause of the crash was likely human or technical error, but also that an attack could not be ruled out. Since then, more and more questions have arisen. The head of the Lithuanian security service yesterday referred to the threat posed by Russia. The Lithuanian broadcaster pointed out that no distress signal was sent and that weather conditions were good.
There have been previous incidents with DHL packages. Packages caught fire in DHL warehouses in Leipzig and Birmingham this year. British authorities investigated possible Russian involvement. Polish prosecutors announced on November 5 that they had arrested four people for involvement in sending explosive packages via international couriers.
There is also a lot of attention for the investigation in Germany, where the plane took off. Foreign Minister Baerbock is calling for a full investigation into the crash. She said authorities in Germany and Lithuania were currently investigating “in all directions.”
In addition to a technical accident, she does not rule out that the crash was caused deliberately. In Europe, there have been several “hybrid attacks” on people or infrastructure recently, Baerbock said. She referred, among other things, to the damage to two data cables in the Baltic Sea a week ago.
When asked whether Russia was behind the crash, Chancellor Scholz said “that it could be.” “We are looking at it closely. We cannot say at the moment.”
