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]
A CCTV image showing the fireball rising from the crash site of EC-MFE
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; 0.7 nmi) 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] The pilot, who was identified as a Spanish citizen, was transferred to Spain for further treatment.[11]
All 13 occupants of the house were safely evacuated.[12] 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 DefenceLaurynas Kasčiūnas said that no signs indicating a sabotage have been identified in its preliminary stages.[13] The Lithuanian special services briefed that there had been no indications of foul play.[5]
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.[17] A Beechcraft King Air 350 calibration and inspection aircraft of the Polish Air Navigation Service was also employed to check the guidance and navigational systems of Vilnius airport after the crash.[18] 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.[12][19][20] Due to the lack of a suitable laboratory in Lithuania, the flight recorders were to be sent to Germany for analysis.[21] Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda also visited the crash site.[22] On November 29 the wreckage of the plane and its cargo were removed from the crash site and taken to a hangar, where they will be analysed during the investigation.[23]
On 20 December, the Lithuanian justice ministry, citing police investigations and analysis of the flight recorders, announced that it had found no "unlawful interference" in the crash.[24][25]
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.[26]
^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.
