A cargo plane Boeing 737-400, operated by Spanish cargo airline Swiftair for DHL, crashed near Vilnius Airport, Lithuania, on the morning of Monday, 25 November, 2024 leaving one crew member dead and three others injured.
The cargo plane was on its final approach to the airport when it went down approximately 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) north of the runway, close to a residential property.
Local authorities reported that all 12 residents near the crash site were safely evacuated. However, the crash caused damage to a house and sparked a fire in nearby infrastructure, which firefighters quickly brought under control.
The aircraft had departed DHL’s hub at Leipzig Airport, Germany, just after 03:00 local time (02:00 GMT) and crashed about 90 minutes later.
According to flight-tracking data, the plane was 31 years old.
Head of Lithuania’s firefighting and emergency services unit, Renatas Pozela, confirmed the plane was carrying four crew members, one of whom was killed in the crash.
The cause of the incident remains unknown, and authorities have launched an investigation.
Weather conditions at the time included temperatures around 0°C (32°F), cloudy skies, and winds of 30 km/h (19 mph), according to reports from the Associated Press.
DHL has confirmed ownership of the aircraft and described the incident as an “emergency landing.”
