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Lithuania suspects pilot error caused DHL cargo plane crash

Jon Shelton with AFP, Reuters
March 26, 2025

Prosecutors say the pilot may have deactivated the plane's wing flaps and have called for him to be questioned. Initially, investigators suspected a hybrid Russian attack.

https://p.dw.com/p/4sIva
A view of a chainlink fence, a sub-compact car and the engine of a Boeing 737-400 on November 25, 2025
The DHL plane broke apart upon impact, sending large sections of it skidding through a local neigborhood, destroying several homes (FILE: November 25, 2024)Image: Petras Malukas/AFP

Prosecutors in Lithuania on Wednesday said they believe pilot error, not foul play, was the cause of a November 25, 2024, plane crash that killed one person near the capital, Vilnius.

When the plane crashed just outside Vilnius airport, it was initially suspected that it may have been downed in an act of sabotage. Lithuanian authorities had previously investigated reports of incendiary devices being planted on cargo planes.

Russia, which has been accused of numerous acts of sabotage across Europe, especially since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, was a prime suspect in the eyes of Germany, which suggested that "another hybrid incident" may have destroyed the plane.

Disabled wing flaps may have led to crash

Prosecutors issued a press release Wednesday, saying, "After analyzing and summarizing the interviews conducted in Lithuania, inspections of the scene, recordings of the aircraft's flight recorders and cockpit conversations, and other data obtained during the investigation, it was determined that the plane crash likely occurred due to a disabled hydraulic system responsible for deploying the flaps."

DHL cargo plane crashes in Lithuania

"The crash," the statement continued, "is believed, on the basis of the currently available evidence, to have been caused by human error."

What happened in the crash?

The crash involved a Boeing 737-400 DHL cargo plane operated by the Spanish company Swiftair. The plane crashed as it approached Vilnius to land on a flight that originated in Leipzig, Germany.

The plane crashed about one kilometer (0.6 miles) from the airport, breaking apart and hitting buildings as it skidded several hundred meters. Prosecutors have officially listed 16 people whose homes were burnt down as a result of the crash as "victims."

One Spanish pilot was killed in the crash and three crew members injured, among them, a Spanish co-pilot who is receiving medical treatment. Lithuanian prosecutors have asked Spanish authorities to charge and question the co-pilot.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery

Jon Shelton Writer, translator and editor with DW's online news team.