A DHL Boeing 737-400 crashed into a house as it made its approach to land at Lithuania’s Vilnius Airport early on Monday (November 25, 2024), killing one person and injuring three others on the aircraft.
The flight was operated by Swift Airline on behalf of DHL, and had taken off from Leipzig, Germany before the plane crashed around 0330 GMT, a spokesperson for the governmental National Crisis Management Centre, Reuters reported.
“There were four people on the plane,” Swiftair said in an official statement. “Emergency teams are currently working at the scene of the plane, so there is still no confirmed information on the condition of the passengers and crew, or on the exact scope of what happened and its causes. As more details of what happened become known, new statements will be issued.”
Jefferson Ding of Dragon Aviation Capital writes on LinkedIn: “(Ex Qantas VH-TJT) Boeing 737 crashes into a residential area short of the runway while attempting to land in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was flying as DHL Flight 18D. It appears to have been a miraculous escape for three survivors on board with one fatality and three injuries having been confirmed so far.
“Lithuanian local media said the Boeing 737-400 freighter crashed close to residential buildings and that a two-story building is currently engulfed in flames. A representative from the Fire Protection and Rescue Department (PAGD) informed LRT Radio that at least four people were injured, including two pilots and two passengers.”
Swiftair operates scheduled and charter, passenger and cargo flights in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, and its main base is Madrid–Barajas Airport, Ding added.
Rescue services said the plane hit the ground and slid at least 100 metres before crashing into the building, the Reuters report added.