Fatal crash of DHL plane from Leipzig in Lithuania: "No signs of terrorism"

By Alexander Welscher

Vilnius (Lithuania) - More than four months after the crash of a cargo plane coming from Germany in Lithuania , the local authorities have presented a 30-page interim report on their investigations.

The most important message is that "no signs of unlawful interference or terrorism" have been found, said Justice Minister Rimantas Mockus at a press conference in Vilnius. The investigation is therefore continuing. The aim is to present the final report as soon as possible.

The Swiftair aircraft, which was traveling from Leipzig to Vilnius on behalf of DHL, crashed into a residential area near Vilnius Airport shortly before the planned landing on the morning of November 25 and crashed on the ground.

One of the four crew members was killed, while the rest of the crew - another Spaniard, a German and a Lithuanian - survived with injuries. According to Mockus, it was "one of the biggest air disasters in the history of independent Lithuania".

The interim report compiled the facts gathered in the first four weeks after the incident, said Laurynas Naujokaitis, head of the ministry's safety investigation department. There were no indications of any unlawful interference in flight operations.

The information in the interim report is consistent with the assessments of the Lithuanian Public Prosecutor General's Office announced the previous week, which, based on its investigations, assumed that the plane crash was caused by human error on the part of the pilot.

According to this, the accident was probably caused by the deactivation of the hydraulic system responsible for extending the landing flaps.