Black boxes found as Lithuania begins investigation into deadly DHL plane crash

LONDON and BELGRADE — A team of Lithuanian investigators found the black boxes from Monday’s deadly cargo plane crash as they began their investigation into what caused the plane to go down and worked to clear the crash site.

Investigators from the United States were sent to assist in the investigation, officials said. German aviation experts had arrived to help, while Spanish investigators were expected to arrive later Tuesday.

The jet crashed Monday morning less than a kilometer from the runway at Vilnius International Airport, officials said. One of the four people on board was killed in the crash, local officials said.

Lithuanian police and prosecutors have opened a “pre-trial” investigation into the crash, according to Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, whose office held a meeting late Monday on the government’s response.

The government has ordered an inquiry under the country’s criminal code, which calls for investigations into “‘Improper maintenance or repair of vehicles or roads or equipment thereon’, which gives rise to liability in the event of loss of life, serious personal injury or very serious property damage,” said the Prime Minister’s office.

“I urge everyone to have confidence in the investigative authorities’ ability to conduct a thorough and professional investigation within an optimal time frame,” Šimonytė said in a statement. “Only these investigations will uncover the true causes of the incident – speculation and guesswork will not help establish the truth.”

The investigation will be led by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Division, with assistance from the US National Transportation Safety Board, the Board said on Monday.

The results of that investigation are expected to be released, the NTSB said.

Lithuanian officials said Tuesday they expected the inspection of the crashed plane to be mostly completed within three days, after which the wrecked plane will be removed from the site. Officials told reporters they were looking for a hanger where they can begin placing aircraft parts.

The DHL cargo plane – a Boeing 737-476 operated by Swiftair – had flown into Lithuania from Germany. It crashed in a residential area in Liepkalnis on the outskirts of the capital Vilnius, the Lithuanian Airport Authority said in a statement published on social media on Monday.

One of the pilots, who was from Spain, was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was transferred to a local hospital in critical condition, Bozena Jerenkovic, a doctor who was part of the emergency team at the scene, told ABC News on Monday. . It appeared the cockpit had been separated from the plane’s fuselage, she added.

The Lithuanian National Crisis Management Center confirmed to ABC News that the pilot is in critical condition. The two other people who were injured in the crash are doing okay, the center says.

ABC News has contacted Bonn, Germany-based DHL for comment.

ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and Melissa Gaffney contributed to this report.