VILNIUS, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- The black boxes from the DHL cargo plane that crashed in Vilnius on Monday morning are to be sent to Germany to be decoded, authorities announced Wednesday.
Laurynas Naujokaitis, head of the Lithuanian Justice Ministry's Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Division, said that investigators expect to have the first data from the black boxes this week.
A pilot was killed and three other people were injured in the crash near the airport in the Lithuanian capital, the country's Fire and Rescue Department said on Monday.
The Boeing 737-476 (SF) plane, which belonged to Spanish airline Swift Air, was flying from Leipzig, Germany, on behalf of German shipping company DHL when it crashed into a residential building near Vilnius airport.
It should not be difficult for specialists to extract all the data from the black boxes as they did not suffer major damage, Naujokaitis said, although this information is not made public.
Investigators from Germany and Spain will assist local authorities in determining what caused the crash, Naujokaitis said on Monday.
Police have conducted preliminary interviews with the plane's crew. According to officers, the crew did not report any fire on board before the aircraft hit the ground. ■
