Swiftair Boeing 737 Cargo Jet Crashes in Vilnius

DALLAS — A Swiftair (WT) Boeing 737-400 cargo jet, registered EC-MFE and flying on behalf of DHL, was on final ILS approach to Vilnius International Airport’s (VNO) runway 19 when it failed to report on tower frequency and impacted t 0.9nm before the threshold, flinging debris that damaged a residential building.

The plane skidded several hundred meters before impact, bursting into flames upon collision. The two-story residential building was set on fire, as well as nearby smaller structures and a car. Emergency services successfully evacuated all 12 residents without injuries.

Tragically, one crew member, a Spanish national, lost their life, while three others—a German, a Lithuanian and another Spaniard—were hospitalized due to injuries sustained in the incident. DHL has designated this event as an emergency landing attempt.

"We can confirm that today, at approximately 4:30 am CET [0330 GMT], a Swiftair aircraft, operated by a service partner on behalf of DHL, performed an emergency landing about one kilometer from VNO Airport [Vilnius, Lithuania] while en route from LEJ Airport [Leipzig, Germany] to VNO Airport," the German cargo logistics company said.

Causes of the Emergency Landing Attempt

Lithuanian law enforcement and prosecutors are investigating the potential causes of the aircraft crash, including technical malfunctions, human errors, and terrorism.

U.S. and European law enforcement agencies have recently collaborated to investigate if incendiary devices detonated in July at DHL logistics hubs in Germany and the U.K. were part of a larger operation by Russian Intelligence, specifically the GRU.; however, no evidence suggests an explosion preceding this morning's incident occurred.

Furthermore, Reuters cites a spokesperson for DHL Lithuania as saying, "We do not have any information that any of the parcels onboard the crashed cargo plane were suspicious."

ADS-B data indicated that the aircraft was flying at an altitude below the appropriate glide slope for its final approach. EC-MFE had an average descent rate of approximately 972 feet per minute and a ground speed of 149 knots.

Airport operations have not been disrupted at this time. This is a developing story.

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