Lithuanian prosecutors are seeking to question the pilot of a Boeing 737-400 freighter which crashed on approach to Vilnius last year, after preliminary findings indicated that a hydraulic issue preceded the fatal accident.
The Swiftair aircraft came down short of runway 19 while inbound from Leipzig on 25 November.
Lithuania’s office of the prosecutor general says the accident “probably” resulted from a “de-activated hydraulic system” which controlled flap deployment.
It says currently-available information points to “human error” as the cause of the crash. Of the four personnel on board the aircraft, one did not survive.
The office has been conducting a pre-trial investigation into the crash.
It says the focus on the hydraulic system follows examination of the scene, analysis of flight-data and cockpit-voice recorder information, and interviews.
“Other versions of the accident were refuted by the data obtained during the investigation,” the prosecutor’s office adds.
It says it has submitted a request to Spanish authorities to carry out “necessary investigative actions”, including questioning the aircraft’s pilot who has been undergoing treatment in Spain.
The request has been made through a European Investigation Order, which enables judicial representatives in one European Union state to ask law enforcement agencies in another for assistance in gathering evidence for a criminal probe.
“This decision was taken in order to thoroughly investigate the circumstances,” says the office.
Lithuania’s pre-trial investigation is based on various articles in the country’s criminal code, including suspicion of improper maintenance of an aircraft, negligence causing death or serious injury through violation of safety regulations, and destruction of property.
