Lithuanian investigators have commenced analysis of flight-recorder information following the Swiftair Boeing 737 freighter crash outside Vilnius on 25 November.
German authorities extracted the data from the cockpit-voice and flight-data recorders, according to the Lithuanian prosecutor general’s office.
The office is leading a pre-trial investigation – conducted by the criminal police bureau – into the accident, while a parallel safety probe is underway by the ministry of justice’s transport accident investigation department.
Inspection of the accident scene, north of Vilnius airport, has been carried out. Around 30 people have been questioned for the pre-trial investigation.
“No charges have been filed against anyone at this time,” the prosecutor’s office states.
While no version of the accident sequence has been ruled out, the office says it has not found any reason to reclassify the articles under which the pre-trial investigation is being conducted – namely those centred on ‘improper maintenance’ and ‘violation of international flight rules’.
Arriving from Leipzig, the 737-400 freighter had been descending towards runway 19 when it collided with terrain, resulting in one fatality from among the four occupants.
The safety inquiry will use the recorder data to reconstruct the aircraft position and flight characteristics.
“Additional calculations will be performed to reconstruct the entire flight and its ending scenario as accurately as possible,” the office states.
