Interim statement of the accident to the aircraft Boeing 737-400SF, registration EC-MFE
On 25 November 2024 at 02:08 UTC the cargo aircraft Boeing 737-400SF, registration EC-MFE, operated by Swiftair, had departed Leipzig/Halle airport, Germany, with the destination Vilnius International Airport, Lithuania. The cargo aircraft had a crew of two pilots and two passengers. At 03:28 UTC (05:28 hrs) the Boeing 737-400SF impacted the ground short of runway 19. The aircraft was destroyed. The captain was fatally injured, and the co-pilot and the two passengers were seriously injured. On the ground there was severe damage to a residential building. Fortunately, none of the residents have been injured.
In a few days, it will be the first anniversary of this accident involving a Boeing 737-400SF. An international team of experts from Lithuania, Spain, the United States of America, Germany and Portugal was formed under the leadership of Safety Investigation Division (SID) to investigate this complex accident. This team is collecting and analysing the facts relevant to the accident in areas such as operations, human performance, airworthiness, recorders and survival factors.
This safety investigation is conducted in accordance with Annex 13 Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation to the Convention on International Civil Aviation and Regulation (EU) No 996/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2010 on the investigation and prevention of accidents and incidents in civil aviation and repealing Directive 94/56/EC. The purpose of the safety investigation is to prevent the occurrence of accidents and incidents in the future, rather than establish blame or liability. The safety investigation is conducted independently of any judicial or administrative proceedings, to apportion blame or liability, are not related to them, and have no impact thereupon.
In accordance with Article 16(7) of Regulation (EU) No 996/2010, if the final report cannot be made public within 12 months, the safety investigation authority shall release an interim statement at least at each anniversary of the accident. Approaching the anniversary of the accident, the investigation still continues due to the complexity of the accident.
The final report is expected to be prepared over the course of the next few months. This report will contain a detailed analysis of the facts, conclusions and causes, as well as safety recommendations. The final report will then be published on the SID website.
Interim statement can be found here.