Plane crash in Lithuania: Search for cause underway

In the search for the cause of the crash of a cargo plane from Germany in Lithuania, investigators are hoping to gain important insights from analyzing the flight recorders. Both the flight data recorder and the voice recorder were recovered from the wreckage of the Swift Air plane, which was on its way from Leipzig to the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on behalf of DHL. The two devices, also known as the "black box", could shed light on the cause of the crash, which remains unclear despite progress in the investigation.

The plane crashed into a residential area near Vilnius airport early on Monday morning shortly before its planned landing and crashed to the ground. One of the four crew members was killed, three others - including a German - are being treated in hospital. Residents were not injured.

Flight recorders could be a crucial piece of the puzzle

The Lithuanian authorities have launched an extensive investigation following the crash. Police chief Arunas Paulauskas assumes that the investigation of the cordoned-off crash site could be completed in a few days. With the flight recorders, the investigators have found an important and possibly decisive piece of the puzzle during their search in the large debris field. The flight data recorder records the flight data, the voice recorder the conversations in the cockpit.

The analysis of the data will take around a month, reported Der Spiegel, citing a spokesperson for the Lithuanian Ministry of Justice. This means that the flight recorders could possibly be examined in Germany. German investigators are already involved in the search for the cause of the crash on site. Experts from Spain and the USA are also due to arrive in Lithuania.

Investigations "in all directions"

According to Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, all conceivable causes are still being investigated. "We are examining all possible options. So far, no option has been ruled out," he said. His German colleague Annalena Baerbock also emphasized that the authorities in both countries are currently investigating "in all directions". In addition to a technical accident, she also considered a deliberately caused crash to be possible.

The plane crash raises questions and fears in particular because German security authorities had warned of "unconventional incendiary devices" being sent by unknown persons via freight service providers at the end of August. At the time, the warning was linked in security circles to an incident at the DHL logistics center in Leipzig, which acts as the company's global hub. In July, a parcel sent from the Baltic States containing an incendiary device is said to have caught fire there. Based on the investigation, arrests were also made in Lithuania, which were confirmed by the General Prosecutor's Office in Vilnius at the beginning of the month.

According to the investigators, there is no evidence so far of a deliberately caused crash. At a press conference on Tuesday, Laurynas Naujokaitis, head of the traffic accident investigation unit at the Lithuanian Ministry of Justice, denied the question of whether there were any indications that the incident was linked to terrorism, sabotage or other influences of this kind: "At the moment, we have no such indications."

In the ARD program "Maischberger" that evening, the focus was on a possible role for Russia in the crash. Sandra Maischberger asked the Inspector General of the German Armed Forces, Carsten Breuer, whether it was possible that tests were being carried out to identify any weak points. Breuer responded: "You mean a test by Russia against us? Yes, absolutely."

The head of the National Crisis Management Center, Vilmantas Vitkauskas, also said in an interview with the BNS agency that there was no information that the plane caught fire before it hit the ground or that the pilots had been confused by GPS satellite navigation interference.