Black boxes from crashed DHL plane in Vilnius show no signs of illegal interference

VILNIUS - A preliminary analysis of the flight recorders, also known as black boxes, of the DHL cargo plane that crashed in Vilnius in November shows no signs of illegal interference, the Lithuanian Justice Ministry said on Friday.

"The safety investigation led by the Justice Ministry's Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Division confirms once again that the preliminary analysis of the Boeing 737-476 flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, along with evidence gathered at the crash site, found no signs of illegal interference," the ministry said in a press release.

The data from both flight recorders were retrieved at the flight recorder and avionics laboratory of the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation.

According to the ministry, the retrieved data provided numerous technical parameters about the flight. The cockpit voice recorder captured the crew’s conversations as well as background sounds in the cockpit.

"By retrieving certain flight parameters from the flight data recorder, it was possible to reconstruct the initial image of the aircraft's flight trajectory," it said.

An international team of investigators from Spain, Germany, and the United States continues the safety investigation.

The Lithuanian Prosecutor General's Office is conducting a pre-trial investigation into the improper maintenance or repair of the aircraft and its systems, as well as possible violations of international aviation regulations.

The Justice Ministry promised to release more details once doing so will no longer jeopardize the success of the investigation.

Earlier this month, the Prosecutor General’s Office announced that around 30 individuals had been questioned in the pre-trial investigation, with no notifications of suspicion served at that time.

The cargo plane with a four-member crew crashed near Vilnius Airport on the morning of November 25. The crash claimed the life of the Spanish pilot and left three others - another Spaniard, a German, and a Lithuanian - injured.

The plane also clipped a house with 13 people inside, but they all escaped unharmed. This week, Vilnius Municipality provided social housing for the affected families for a year, with the first three months rent-free.

The Boeing 737, which was coming from the German city of Leipzig, was owned by Spain's Swiftair and used for transporting DHL parcels.