The intense crash of a DHL cargo plane in Vilnius, Lithuania, has left investigators scrambling for answers.

The Boeing 737-400, on a routine flight from Leipzig, Germany, to Vilnius, crashed just a mile from the runway in the early hours of Monday morning, igniting a massive inferno and raising troubling questions about the cause of the catastrophe.

A chilling security camera video captured the aircraft descending at a dangerously low altitude before suddenly banking right, its wingtip grazing the ground, and erupting into a fiery explosion, as reported by The Daily Mail.

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The communication between the cockpit and air traffic control offered no hint of trouble, leaving experts baffled.

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Mere minutes before impact, the pilot greeted controllers with a calm “good morning” and received clearance for the runway. Then, silence. Attempts to contact the plane failed, and moments later, it plummeted to the ground.

Remarkably, three of the four crew members survived the crash, though they suffered severe injuries. Rescuers pulled them from the wreckage, while one crew member, identified as a Spanish national, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The aircraft narrowly missed a major motorway, crashing into a wooded area and skidding hundreds of meters before hitting a residential building. Emergency responders evacuated 12 people from the damaged structure, averting further loss of life.

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Eyewitness accounts provide critical clues. Vilnius resident Kotryna Ciupailaite, who saw the plane moments before impact, described “sparks or flames” trailing from the right wing.

Another witness, Svaja, recounted being awoken by a fiery explosion that lit up her room like a red sun.

“I saw a fireball. My first thought is that a world (war) has begun and it’s time to grab the documents and run somewhere to a shelter, to a basement.”

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Officials remain cautious about assigning blame. Lithuanian investigators are analyzing the aircraft’s black boxes for insights. While technical failure and human error are leading theories, the possibility of sabotage or terrorism hasn’t been ruled out.

Marius Baranauskas, head of Lithuania’s National Aviation Authority, emphasized the cockpit’s lack of distress signals as highly unusual. Police Commissioner General Arunas Paulauskas echoed this sentiment, noting, “We need to examine the black boxes to know what was happening in the aircraft.”

The crash comes amid rising fears of Russian covert operations targeting Western infrastructure. DHL facilities in Leipzig and Birmingham reported mysterious explosions earlier this year, sparking concerns over potential sabotage.

Although Moscow has denied involvement, European security officials remain wary, citing Russia’s history of hybrid warfare tactics, including cyberattacks, sabotage, and disinformation campaigns.

Lithuania’s Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas warned that investigations could take weeks. While no evidence yet ties the crash to foul play, officials urge vigilance, particularly given the heightened geopolitical tensions stemming from Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

As Europe braces for potential hybrid attacks, this incident underscores the vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. The European Union has been criticized for its lack of preparedness against non-traditional threats. German intelligence chief Thomas Haldenwang recently highlighted the risks posed by Russia’s aggressive tactics, which he said threaten “all areas of our free society.”

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For now, Lithuania mourns the loss of life and grapples with the harrowing events of that morning. The answers, locked within the aircraft’s black boxes, may offer clarity—but could also raise even more unsettling questions.

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