Commercial presentation Updated: 25/11/2024 17:29 Issued: 25/11/2024, 07:00
Illustrative photo – View of the impact site of the DHL cargo plane, which crashed near Vilnius airport early this morning while trying to land and landed near a residential building. 25 November 2024. AP/Mindaugas Kulbis
Vilnius – A DHL cargo plane that took off from Leipzig, Germany crashed early this morning while attempting to land crashed near the airport near Vilnius. According to the Lithuanian agency Delfi, its debris hit the vicinity of a residential building, whose residents were unharmed. However, the building caught fire and the firefighters safely evacuated 12 people from it. One person from the plane lost his life and three others were injured, the Lithuanian rescue service reported. The authorities did not specify the cause of the accident, however, according to a spokesman for the National Crisis Management Center, there is no indication that the plane exploded.
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The head of the Lithuanian police, Arunas Paulauskas, identified a technical fault or human error as the most likely cause of the accident, Lithuanian Radio and Television (LRT) writes on its website. However, he added that “terrorism cannot be ruled out”. The head of the Lithuanian Secret Service (VSD) Darius Jauniškis expressed himself similarly. “At this point, it’s too early to connect the case to anything,” he said. However, according to him, the possibility of terrorism cannot be ruled out either. He assured that Lithuania cooperates with international partners. According to the spokesman of the German Ministry of Transport, German experts will also participate in the investigation of the causes of the accident.
“In the current geopolitical context, we look at every incident differently than in the past, but I ask you not to jump to conclusions,” LRT quotes Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytéová’s statement as ending. Lithuania, which borders Russia’s Kaliningrad region, is a staunch ally of Ukraine, which has been defending itself against Russian aggression for two or three quarters of the year. VSD chief Jauniškis said that “we definitely observe that Russia is becoming more aggressive” and recalled that Lithuania’s foreign partners warn of the danger of sabotage or terrorism.
At the airport in Vilnius this morning the temperature was around zero, it was cloudy before sunrise. Lithuanian Airports Administration she informed that the plane crashed around 05:30 local time (04:30 CET) and that emergency services and a command team went to the scene. Airport operations were not significantly disrupted.
Many parts of the machine, as well as packages and pieces of cardboard, were scattered around the accident site, a Lithuanian radio reporter reported. According to him, the area is not densely built up. The plane crashed about 1.5 kilometers from the runway, then slid several hundred meters on the ground, and its debris hit the yard of a multi-story residential building with four apartments. According to the media, the plane is completely destroyed. People in Vilnius received alerts on their mobile phones to avoid the area around the airport, which is located south of the city, due to road closures.
According to police chief Paulauskas, just collecting evidence will take a week, and the public “will not get a quick answer”. Police hope to be able to interview the plane’s pilot soon. Her representative said that the dead person is a citizen of Spain. Another Spaniard, one Lithuanian and one German were injured.
Already record communication between the plane and air traffic controllers is not unusual, according to LRT. “The pilots did not report any danger, no problems. It was routine communication, simple and decent,” aviation expert Vidas Kaupelis commented on the recording. He added that the fact that the plane crashed seconds later meant that the pilots themselves were surprised. If the plane had major problems, such as a fire or technical failure, they would notify air traffic control.
The Boeing 737 cargo plane was operated by Swift, based in Madrid, for Germany’s DHL. According to LRT, the management of DHL’s Lithuanian branch confirmed that the aircraft belonged to Swift and that the cause of the accident was unknown.
The plane was built 31 years ago, which according to aviation experts is quite significant, but not an unusual age for cargo machines.
Germany’s secret services said some time ago that Russia was apparently behind the package fire at DHL’s logistics center in Leipzig in July. It just happened that the package caught fire on the ground and not in the plane. British counter-terrorism police also recently said they were investigating a fire at a DHL logistics center near Birmingham in July, which was caused by a package catching fire. It is working with security forces elsewhere in Europe to determine whether there is a link between the incidents.
The Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza wrote in October that the packages that caused fires in warehouses in Germany, Britain and Poland were sent from Lithuania. An adviser to the Lithuanian president Gitanas Nauséda then said earlier this month that Russia was responsible for these shipments.
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**What steps can aviation regulatory bodies take to prevent similar accidents involving older aircraft, given the potential challenges of maintaining aging fleets?**
## Interview: Vilnius Airport Cargo Plane Crash
**Introduction:**
Welcome back to World Today News! Today, we’re joined by two guests to discuss the tragic crash of a DHL cargo plane near Vilnius airport yesterday. We have with us [Guest 1 Name], an aviation safety expert, and [Guest 2 Name], a geopolitical analyst. Thank you both for joining us.
**Section 1: The Crash Itself**
* **Host:** [Guest 1 Name], the crash occurred in the early morning hours. What initial conclusions can we draw from the available information about the plane’s unusual descent and impact?
* **Host:** [Guest 2 Name], the Vilnius airport is relatively small and situated close to residential areas. What are your thoughts on the potential implications of the crash location?
**Section 2: Possible Causes**
* **Host:** [Guest 1 Name], while the investigation is ongoing, what are some of the most probable causes being considered for this type of accident?
* **Host:** [Guest 2 Name], some have pointed to recent incidents involving DHL packages and the heightened geopolitical tensions due to the Russia-Ukraine war. Do you see any potential for a connection between these events and this crash?
* **Host:** [Guest 1 Name], the aircraft was relatively old. Could the plane’s age be a contributing factor, and if so, what kind of inspections are usually carried out on older aircraft?
**Section 3: The Investigation and Aftermath**
* **Host:**[Guest 1 Name], what are the priorities for investigators at this stage, and what kind of evidence are they likely focusing on?
* **Host:** [Guest 2 Name], considering the political climate, how closely will international partners likely be involved in this investigation?
**Section 4: Looking Forward**
* **Host:** [Guest 1 Name], what safety recommendations or improvements might emerge from this investigation that could prevent similar accidents in the future?
* **Host:** [Guest 2 Name], how might this incident affect public perception of air cargo safety and international logistics in general?
**Outro:**
Thank you both for sharing your insightful perspectives on this complex and tragic event. We hope this discussion has shed light on the many facets surrounding the Vilnius airport cargo plane crash. We’ll continue to follow this story closely as more information becomes available.
