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Swiftair Flight 5960

Coordinates: 54°39′23″N 025°17′57″E / 54.65639°N 25.29917°E / 54.65639; 25.29917
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Swiftair Flight 5960
EC-MFE, the aircraft involved in the accident
Accident
Date25 November 2024
SummaryCrashed on approach; under investigation
SiteLiepkalnis, near Vilnius Airport, Vilnius, Lithuania
54°39′23″N 025°17′57″E / 54.65639°N 25.29917°E / 54.65639; 25.29917
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 737-476(SF)[a]
OperatorSwiftair for European Air Transport Leipzig (DHL)
IATA flight No.QY5960[1]
ICAO flight No.BCS18D
Call signPOSTMAN 18 DELTA
RegistrationEC-MFE
Flight originLeipzig/Halle Airport, Leipzig, Germany
DestinationVilnius Airport, Vilnius, Lithuania
Occupants4
Crew4
Fatalities1
Injuries3
Survivors3

Swiftair Flight 5960 (operating as European Air Transport Leipzig Flight 18D)[1] was an international cargo flight that crashed early in the morning on 25 November 2024 while on final approach[2] to Vilnius Airport. The aircraft, flying from Leipzig/Halle Airport in Leipzig, Germany, to Vilnius Airport in Vilnius, Lithuania, was on approach when it crashed into the ground short of the runway, near a two-story house in Liepkalnis. One crew member was killed and the other three were injured. No one on the ground was injured.[3][4][5][6]

Aircraft

The aircraft involved, manufactured in 1993, was a Boeing 737-400SF registered as EC-MFE with serial number 24445. It was powered by two CFM International CFM56-3C1 engines.[7] It was operated by Swiftair on behalf of DHL.[2]

Original being registered as VH-TJT while with Australia Airlines, it was transferred to Qantas’ fleet in 1993 following the airline’s buying of Australia Airlines in 1992. It was later sold to Wat Phnom Airlines in 2013, being registered as XU-886. Following Wat Phnom Airlines’ folding in 2014, the aircraft was converted to cargo aircraft and sold to Swiftair in 2015, being registered as EC-MFE.

Accident

A CCTV image showing the fireball arising from the crash site

The aircraft took off from the DHL hub at Leipzig Airport at 02:08 UTC (03:08 local) on 25 November. The accident occurred at 03:28 UTC (05:28 local) as it was making its final approach to Vilnius Airport. The plane narrowly missed, sliding on the area and in the process, hitting a two story house in the Liepkalnis neighborhood, approximately 1.3 kilometres (0.8 mi) north of the airport, and crashed on its property, causing a fire that reached the house. One of the two pilots, a Spanish-French citizen, died on impact, while three other crew members, including the other pilot, were injured and rescued.[5] They were later identified as nationals of Spain, Germany and Lithuania.[8] The Spanish crew member was critically injured, while the other two were less injured.[9] Their survival was attributed by first responders to the aircraft's cockpit being separated on impact from its fuselage, which caught fire.[10]

All 13 occupants of the house were safely evacuated.[11] Several roads were closed in Liepkalnis, while authorities urged people not to travel to the area.[10][2] Several buildings and a car were also struck by the plane.[8]

Investigation

Acting Minister of National Defence Laurynas Kasčiūnas said that no signs indicating a sabotage have been identified in its preliminary stages.[12] The Lithuanian special services briefed that there had been no indications of foul play.[5]

This accident is being investigated by the Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Division of the Ministry of Justice of Lithuania, with assistance of investigators from Spain, Germany and the United States. The safety investigation authority of Spain sent two investigators and the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport of Germany sent four experts from the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation to Lithuania to assist in the investigation.[13] The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) sent a team of US investigators from the NTSB, Boeing, and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to Lithuania to assist with the investigation.[14] The Lithuanian Ministry of Justice also notified the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the European Commission and the FAA about the accident.[15]

On 26 November, the runway of Vilnius Airport was closed between 10:00 and 11:00 as part of police efforts to film the crash site using drones, resulting in delays to four flights.[16] Also After the crash a Beechcraft King Air 350 of the Polish Air Navigation Service was done to check the guidance and navigational systems of Vilnius airport.[17] Both flight recorders (CVR and FDR) were found on the same day at around 11:30 am. Lithuanian authorities announced that an inspection of the crash site will be held in the next two to three days, and that after it the wreckage of the plane will be removed.[11][18][19] Due to the lack of a suitable laboratory in Lithuania, the flight recorders were to be sent to Germany for analysis.[20] Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda also visited the crash site.[21]

Reactions

On 25 November, Germany's foreign minister Annalena Baerbock stressed that authorities in Germany and Lithuania were currently examining all possibilities. Baerbock did not raise any direct accusations against individuals or states.[22]

Media connected the accident to an arson attack on a DHL flight from Leipzig in July 2024.[23][24]

Boeing,[25] IATA,[26] EASA,[27] and IFALPA[28] expressed their condolences for the crew members and their families.

Notes

  1. ^ Boeing assigned a unique customer code to each of its customers from 1958 until 2016, denoted as a suffix to the model number. 76 denotes an aircraft built for Trans Australia Airlines (later known as Australian Airlines). This aircraft was a 737-400 model, hence the designation 737-476. SF stands for 'Special Freighter', referring to an aircraft originally built for passenger transport but later converted into a cargo aircraft.

References

  1. ^ a b Hradecky, Simon (25 November 2024). "Accident: Swift B734 near Vilnius on Nov 25th 2024, impacted building on final approach". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Ferreira Santos, Sofia (25 November 2024). "One dead and three injured in Lithuania cargo-jet crash". BBC News. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  3. ^ Sytas, Andrius (25 November 2024). "DHL plane crash in Lithuania leaves authorities searching for answers". Reuters. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Vilniuje netoli oro uosto nukrito krovininis lėktuvas: žuvo mažiausiai vienas žmogus" [Cargo plane crashes near Vilnius airport, at least one person killed]. LRT (in Lithuanian). 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Venckutė, Erika; Matonis, Jaunius (25 November 2024). "Vilniuje šalia namo nukrito krovininis DHL lėktuvas, žuvo Ispanijos pilietis" [DHL cargo plane crashes near house in Vilnius, Spanish citizen dies]. Delfi (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  6. ^ "EC-MFE - Boeing 737-476(SF) - DHL Air". Flightradar24. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  7. ^ "BOEING 737 - MSN 24445 EC-MFE". airfleets.net. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Germany fears outside hand in deadly Lithuania jet crash". France 24. 25 November 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  9. ^ Jakučionis, Saulius (25 November 2024). "Vitkauskas: nesama duomenų apie sprogimą lėktuvo viduje, jis nesileido avariniu būdu" [Vitkauskas: There is no information about an explosion inside the plane, it did not make an emergency landing] (in Lithuanian). LRT. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Cargo plane crashes in Vilnius, one person killed". LRT. 25 November 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  11. ^ a b Zulonaitė, Greta (26 November 2024). "Rastos Vilniuje nukritusio DHL krovininio lėktuvo juodosios dėžės" [Black boxes of DHL cargo plane that crashed in Vilnius found]. LRT (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  12. ^ Biržietis, Dominykas (25 November 2024). "L. Kasčiūnas: kol kas nėra ženklų, kad lėktuvo katastrofa Vilniuje susijusi su sabotažu" [L. Kasčiūnas: there are no signs yet that the plane crash in Vilnius is related to sabotage]. Kauno diena (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  13. ^ Satsiuk, Siarhei; Gambrell, Jon; Gera, Vanessa (25 November 2024). "DHL cargo plane crashes and skids into a house in Lithuania, killing Spanish crew member". Associated Press. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  14. ^ @NTSB_Newsroom (25 November 2024). "NTSB is leading team of US investigators (NTSB, Boeing & FAA) to Lithuania to assist Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Division w/ their investigation of crash of Swift Air (dba DHL) Boeing 737 near Vilnius Monday" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 November 2024 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ Vileikytė, Goda (25 November 2024). "Spanish, German officials to investigate cargo plane crash in Lithuania – ministry". LRT. Lithuanian National Radio and Television. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  16. ^ "Vilnius Airport was temporarily closed on Tuesday". LRT. Lithuanian National Radio and Television. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  17. ^ https://www.flightglobal.com/safety/polish-flight-inspection-king-air-checks-vilnius-navaids-after-737-crash/160889.article
  18. ^ "Black Boxes Found As Lithuania Begins Investigation Into DHL Plane Crash". iHeart. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  19. ^ Picheta, Rob; Kent, Lauren (26 November 2024). "German leaders float sabotage questions in deadly DHL plane crash in Lithuania". CNN. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  20. ^ "Black boxes from plane that crashed in Vilnius to be sent to Germany". LRT. Lithuanian National Radio and Television. 27 November 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  21. ^ "Black boxes found on Vilnius plane crash site, inspection to be completed in 3 days". LRT. Lithuanian National Radio and Television. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  22. ^ "DHL-Flugzeug in Litauen abgestürzt – Baerbock schließt Sabotageakt nicht aus" [DHL plane crashes in Lithuania – Baerbock does not rule out act of sabotage]. Die Welt (in German). 25 November 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  23. ^ "German FM questions if DHL plane crash was 'hybrid incident'". euronews. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  24. ^ Moody, Oliver; Bremner, Charles (26 November 2024). "DHL cargo plane crash heightens fears over Kremlin sabotage". www.thetimes.com. Paris. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  25. ^ "Boeing Airplanes on X: "Our thoughts are with the crew of cargo Flight QY5690 ..." / X". X. Boeing. 25 November 2024.
  26. ^ "IATA on X: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families of the Swiftair operated for DHL #aircargo flight that crashed in Vilnius today." / X". X. IATA. 25 November 2024.
  27. ^ "EASA on X: "#EASA's thoughts are with the crew of DHL flight BCS18D, which tragically crashed this morning on approach at Vilnius International Airport in Lithuania ..." / X". X. EASA.
  28. ^ "IFALPA on Swiftair Accident in Lithuania". IFALPA. 25 November 2024.
External image
image icon Pre-accident pictures of aircraft at JetPhotos.com
External videos
video icon Surveillance camera footage published by Lithuanian National Radio and Television
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