Expert: Routine communication before a crash

In Lithuania, the search is on for the cause of the crash of a cargo plane that was traveling on behalf of the postal service provider DHL. According to a report by Lithuanian radio, the evaluation of the communication between the pilot and the tower does not indicate an emergency or other irregularities during the landing approach. The published recording shows a completely calm and routine conversation, according to a Lithuanian aviation expert interviewed by the radio station. The plane crashed in the early morning near the airport in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, close to a residential building. One person was killed, according to police and rescue services.

"Without going into details, it can be said that the pilots did not report any danger or problems. It was a routine communication, a simple descent," said Vidas Kaupelis of Vilnius University after listening to the recording, which he said was available on the internet and not confidential. Several videos taken by surveillance cameras or eyewitnesses and published by Lithuanian media also do not indicate turbulence during the landing approach at first glance.

The authorities launched an investigation into the cause of the accident. So far, there are no indications that it was a case of sabotage or a terrorist attack. The cargo plane that took off from Leipzig was operated by the Spanish airline Swift Air, according to DHL. Swift Air works for DHL.