145 dead as jet swerves off Madrid airport runway

[Teoh Z Yao 0]

45 dead as jet swerves off Madrid airport runway

 

 

By HAROLD HECKLE, Associated Press Writer

56 minutes ago

 

 

 

MADRID, Spain - A Spanish airliner bound for the Canary Islands swerved off the runway and caught fire during takeoff from the Madrid airport on Wednesday, killing at least 45 people, the Interior Ministry said.

 

Nineteen of the 173 people on board were seriously injured, according to statements from the airline and the ministry.

 

It is the height of the summer tourist season in Spain and Spanair flight JK5022 was bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, a popular resort off West Africa, the company said.

 

Thick, white smoke rose above Barajas airport as helicopters and fire trucks dumped water on the plane, which ended up in a wooded area at the end of the runway at Terminal 4.

 

An official with the Madrid emergency rescue service SAMUR said crews were removing injured people and bodies from the MD-80, calling it a "catastrophe." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give his name.

 

The plane was an MD-82 carrying 173 people, Spanair said.

 

The newspaper El Pais said the plane was delayed an hour by technical problems. It managed to get slightly off the ground but crashed near the end of the runway, the paper said.

 

Crashed at the most cirtical window of time of take off, huh? Condolence to those involved... R.I.P. to the perished...

[Naim 6]

Madrid plane crash: Up to 150 feared dead

Up to 150 people are feared dead after a plane crashed at Madrid airport and burst into flames.

 

By Fiona Govan and Ed Owens in Madrid

Last Updated: 5:36PM BST 20 Aug 2008

 

Eyewitnesses said the Spanair flight was at least 100 metres off the ground when an engine exploded and it crashed in a nearby hollow surrounded by trees.

 

They then heard another explosion and saw flames and dense smoke rising quickly from behind the foliage. Some reports suggested the impact was so severe the plane had broken in two.

 

"They were very dear friends," said Patricia Fiorita, a senior flight attendant with Spanair, who knew the crew on board. "They would have put into effect immediately the full emergency evacuation system if they had been in a position to do so."

 

So far the Spanish government has only confirmed the death of 45 people, but news agencies spoke to emergency workers who said the real toll was much higher.

 

Early reports suggested that there had already been problems with the Spanair MD82 plane.

 

Others suggested it had already made an unsuccessful attempt to take off and had been seen emerging from a maintenance shed shortly before it picked up the passengers.

 

Shortly afterwards helicopters could be seen carrying large loads of water to try to douse the flames, causing a large column of smoke to rise over the airport and form a dark shroud over surrounding areas.

 

Some 11 fire engines were quickly on the scene, where they were joined by fleets of ambulances and civil guard vehicles to aid with the rescue efforts.

 

Because the flight had an earlier connection with Lufthansa flight LH255, it was feared that many of the casualties could be Germans heading for a holiday in the Canary Islands.

 

Wearing the orange, blue and white livery of Spain's second largest airline, flight 5022 took off from Barajas airport terminal 2 for Las Palmas shortly after 2.30pm local time.

 

Spanair was established in 1988 by Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) with its headquarters in Majorca. It mostly carries domestic holiday traffic but also runs some international scheduled routes.

 

Families of some people on board have started to arrive at the airport and been taken to a lounge in the terminal 4 building by officials.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...eared-dead.html

 

[Georg Burdicek 1]

reported death toll has risen to 148 so far.

 

Interestign detail: Before departure the aircraft was delayed due to technical problems....

[Georg Burdicek 1]

first pictures of the Aircraft (EC-HFP) foun here: http://www.elmundo.es/albumes/2008/08/20/a...ajas/index.html

 

just click through the numbered buttons on the side. The first take off run was aborted for technical reason, the accident happened at the 2nd take off.

 

[Wilber Tan 0]

heard this on the news minutes ago..really a terrible crash

[Teoh Z Yao 0]

Imagine you're at the controls in the flight deck... You lifted off... Then a few seconds later you're going down... Nightmare...

 

Condolence...

[Pieter C. 5]

R.I.P. to all those who perished !!!

 

145 Killed In Madrid Airport Plane Crash

 

August 20, 2008

About 145 people were killed when a Spanair jet to the Canary Islands crashed on takeoff and burst into flames at Madrid Airport on Wednesday, an emergency services spokesman said.

 

Smoke billowed up near Terminal Four from the remains of Spanair's Flight JK5022, an MD-82 jet bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.

 

The 15-year-old plane, carrying 166 passengers and nine crew, shot off the runway at 2:45 pm local time (1245 GMT), according to Spanair, and witnesses described a huge explosion.

 

"Only the tail was recognisable, there was wreckage scattered all over the place and dead bodies across a wide area. A lot of them were children," Herbigio Corral, who headed the rescue effort, told reporters.

 

There were only 28 survivors, he said.

 

Of the survivors, eight are in critical condition, an emergency services spokesman told national radio.

 

Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez said the cause of the accident seemed to be "an error in takeoff". But Spanish media quoted sources as saying the plane's left engine, made by Pratt & Whitney, had caught fire.

 

The plane had left late after being delayed, El Mundo said.

 

The flight was a code-sharing operation with Lufthansa serving the Canary Islands, a popular holiday destination for tourists from throughout Europe.

 

Lufthansa said seven passengers with Lufthansa tickets, four of them from Germany, had checked in for the flight, and a Canary Islands official said passengers included Swedes and Dutch.

 

Thick columns of smoke rose into the air and police blocked off both ends of the runway, where more than 20 ambulances and many fire engines were stationed.

 

"I saw how the plane broke in two and a huge explosion," said Manuel Muela, who was driving past the airport when the crash occurred, according to newspaper El Mundo.

 

Police escorted tearful relatives of passengers past reporters and dozens of workers identified as psychologists and social workers arrived at the terminal.

 

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero interrupted his holidays and the Spanish Olympic Committee said the Spanish flag would fly at half mast in the Olympic village in Beijing. Spain's national soccer team wore black armbands at a friendly match with Denmark.

 

Spanair, which is owned by Scandinavian Airlines Systems (SAS), has been struggling with high fuel prices and tough competition during an economic slowdown. It announced it was laying off 1,062 staff and cutting routes to turn the airline around after losing $81 million in the first half of the year.

 

Hours before the crash, Spanair's pilots threatened to strike. SAS has been trying to sell Spanair since last year.

 

The MD-82 is a medium-range single-aisle plane, popular with regional airlines. It is a member of the MD-80 family of planes made by US manufacturer Boeing.

 

American Airlines had to cancel 3,000 flights earlier this year after US authorities ordered them to ground MD-80 series planes to check their wiring.

 

Boeing bought McDonnell Douglas in 1997, and the last of the MD-80 family rolled off its production line in 1999.

 

(Reuters)

 

Spanish Air Crashes - Timeline

 

August 20, 2008

Here are some details of some previous major crashes in Spain:

 

March 27, 1977 - Two Boeing 747 airliners, a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines plane and a Pan American jet, collided and burst into flames on the runway at Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands. 583 were killed out of a total of 644 on board both aircraft.

 

April 25, 1980 - A Danair Boeing 727-64 crashes at Tenerife in the Canary Islands, killing all 146 passengers and crew aboard.

 

September 13, 1982 - A Spantax McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 crashes while attempting takeoff in Malaga.

 

November 27, 1983 - An Avianca Boeing 747 crashes during the approach to Madrid, killing 181 of 192 aboard.

 

December 7, 1983 - An Iberia Boeing 727 collides with an Aviaco DC-9 at Madrid. At least 93 people are killed.

 

February 19, 1985 - An Iberia Boeing 727-256 crashes while approaching Bilbao. All 148 aboard are killed.

 

May 13, 1994 - A Piper 44 light aircraft, flying from Malaga to the island of Ibiza with four people on board, crashes into a mountain in the Granada region. All four die.

 

September 27, 1998 - Thirty-six Spaniards and two Moroccans are killed when a BAe-146-100 crashes on its way from Malaga to the Spanish enclave of Melilla in Morocco.

 

August 29, 2001 - Four people are killed and 16 injured when a Binter Mediterraneo plane, a twin-engined, propeller-driven CN-235, crashes while trying to land in Malaga after a short trip from Melilla.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Relatives Grieve As Spanair Crash Probe Begins

 

August 21, 2008

Grieving relatives and medical staff on Thursday tried to identify the badly burned bodies of victims of the crash of a Spanair jet in which 153 people were killed as it took off on a flight from Madrid Airport.

 

The investigation into the crash, Spain's worst aviation disaster since 1983, also got under way on Thursday with officials seeking to find out why the Spanair MD-82 jet aborted an initial take-off attempt shortly before the accident.

 

"The causes will have to be provided not only by the company but also by the black boxes, which compile all the flight data," Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez said on Wednesday night.

 

Relatives gathered at an improvised morgue in a convention center to identify the bodies, many of which were badly burned.

 

"I'd kill the bastard who did this," a driver shouted at Spanish state television cameras outside the convention center.

 

Another passenger said: "Knowing the plane was bad, it took off with my seven-year-old niece."

 

Alvarez said only 19 people of the 166 passengers and nine crew aboard survived. Spanair listed 157 passengers and 10 unnamed crew, implying a total of 167 aboard.

 

A Spanair spokesman said he could not account for the discrepancy between airline and government figures.

 

A passenger list published by Spanair, which is owned by Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), showed mostly Spanish names but officials said there were also passengers from Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and Chile. Many were children, rescue officials said.

 

Forensic scientists from around the country were heading to Madrid to help identify the bodies.

 

"We hope the very difficult and delicate task of identification can be done with the utmost efficiency," Alvarez said.

 

The plane was 15-years-old and passed its annual inspection last year, she said.

 

Spanair Flight JK5022, bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, was originally due to take off at 1 p.m. But after moving away from the terminal and approaching the runway it returned because of a mechanical problem, a source close to the situation said.

 

On its second take-off attempt, it shot off the runway, broke into pieces and burst into flames. Survivors were flung from the plane by the force of the impact and landed in a stream, saving them from more severe burns, a rescue official said.

 

Alvarez said the cause of the accident seemed to be "an error in take-off". But a source close to the situation said the plane's left engine, made by Pratt & Whitney, had caught fire.

 

Retired Iberia captain Javier del Campo, with 46 years' experience, said pilots had to practice taking off with one engine halted or on fire every six months.

 

"A plane doesn't crash due to engine failure or a fire on take-off," del Campo told El Mundo newspaper.

 

In Beijing, Spanish sailors Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz wore black armbands when receiving gold medals for the Tornado in the Olympic Games on Thursday, after officials turned down a request to allow the Spanish flag to fly at half-mast.

 

Spanair has been struggling with high fuel prices and tough competition. Hours before the crash, pilots had threatened to strike in protest at proposed cuts in staff and routes.

 

El Mundo reported that the co-pilot, who was amongst the dead, was on the list of those due to be laid off.

 

SAS has been trying to sell Spanair since last year and its Spanish unit lost USD$81 million in the first half of the year.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Azuan Zahdi 2]

The news was all over the news here in Odense Denmark. Apparently SAS Group owns Spanair hence the extra attention to this tragedy.

 

It's never good to hear bout a crash...big or small

[Naim 6]

From The Times

August 22, 2008

 

Despite the Madrid crash, flying is still safer than ever

 

With modern and rigorously tested aircraft and highly trained crew, the risks of flying are far smaller than rail or road

Harvey Elliott

 

Don't worry. It won't happen again. The Spanish air crash that killed 153 people of the 172 on board the Spanair MD82 at Barajas airport, Madrid, won't be repeated.

 

Statistics suggest that anything like it simply won't happen again in the near future.

 

Just to prove me and the statisticians wrong it probably will. I remember how we were just getting over Lockerbie in December 1988 when a British Midland 737-400 crashed near the M1 motorway at Kegworth just a few days later.

 

But realistically it won't. Flying remains by far the safest form of transport. If you travel by air for a lifetime you have a 1 in 2.5 million chance of being killed. Use the train and that drops to 1 in a 50,000 chance. On the road that becomes a 1 in 200 chance.

 

Take a look at the person next to you as you fly back to Britain today from your holiday. I guarantee that they are just a little bit more fearful than they would have been yesterday. Maybe that newspaper they are reading has a report on the Spanair crash and - my goodness what was that noise?

 

But there really is no need for anxiety. Here are the facts.

 

In the past year there were no accidents involving large passenger-carrying aircraft that caused loss of life in Britain. None at all.

 

It is true that a microlight collided with a small aircraft as they both approached Coventry airport. But that involved two smaller aircraft.

 

Five people died in that crash. Too many, especially for the families of those involved. Yet last year 2,943 people died on the road. How did the families of each of those cope?

 

An air crash, by the nature of its size and rarity, always attracts more publicity - and far more fear - than road casualties. We hurtle towards each other at 60 miles an hour on small rural roads without knowing what the other driver might do. What happens if he swerves? Or his front tyre bursts? Or he is only 17 (or even younger) and travelling too fast? Nobody knows or really cares.

 

But we keep aircraft at least a mile apart. We train pilots and crew every six months in what to do in an emergency. We have highly qualified training pilots to put the flying crew through their paces. And every time we get on an aircraft we are told where the lifejacket is, what to do if we crash in water, where the exits are and a host of other pre-flight paraphernalia designed to make us all feel more uncomfortable and far more wary than if we were simply told to get on the aircraft and get on with it.

 

Between 1980 and 1996 there were only 0.52 accidents per million flights in Europe. We were told by the experts that air travel was growing so fast that by 2010 there would be a fatal crash almost once a week. It hasn't happened. In 1996 94 million passengers boarded flights out of Britain. In 2007 the number had increased to 140 million.

 

Twenty years earlier, in 1976, there were three accidents per million flights worldwide. Today that is down to 0.65 per million flights. In other words flying is now more than five times safer than it was in 1976.

 

Between 1996 and 2006 there were 283 accidents around the world and 8,599 people were killed. That is 860 deaths each year all across the world, including Africa - which had 30 times more fatalities than the US.

 

Why is flying safer than it was? Largely it is because technology has advanced. The aircraft that flew you from Britain to your holiday destination was almost certainly built in the past five years.

 

Every part of it will have been tested repeatedly - even before it made its first flight. Gone are the days when the aircraft was the weakest link in the chain - when you did not know if a rudder would fall off, a tyre would burst on landing or the engine would explode in flight.

 

Today, the pilot is the weakest link. More than three quarters of the accidents that do happen occur because the pilot and crew are to blame - they became disorientated and flew into a hillside or mountain or made some kind of in-flight mix-up that resulted in a crash. Rarely is the aircraft itself to blame.

 

Almost always there is no single cause of a crash. Often it is an accumulation of factors.

 

Maybe the aircraft was simply too young - the accident investigators refer to it as “infant mortality” - and its “teething problems” have not been ironed out. Maybe the chief pilot had had a row just before he left home that morning and was grumpy and rude to his co-pilot who, in turn, did not want to upset the captain still more.

 

Perhaps two or three things went wrong with the aircraft at once - a rare but possible explanation for the Spanair MD82 crash.

 

Does that make you feel better?

 

Somehow I knew it wouldn't.

 

Harvey Elliott is a former air correspondent for The Times and an aviation industry specialist

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/c...icle4582811.ece

[Pieter C. 5]

Relatives Seek To Identify Spanish Crash Victims

 

August 21, 2008

Grieving relatives on Thursday tried to identify charred bodies from the wreckage of a Spanair jet which crashed at Madrid Airport on its second attempt at takeoff after mechanical problems.

 

Airline officials declined to comment on possible causes for Wednesday's crash in which 153 people were killed, but said Spanair Flight JK5022 had earlier been delayed due to a problem with the air intake heating system before it attempted a second takeoff for its flight to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.

 

"They supposedly fixed the problem which the pilot later said was with the air conditioning and then we took off," survivor Ligia Palomino told Ser radio.

 

"The plane was wobbling from one side to another. Then I began to suspect we would crash. I don't know what happened next. I was in a sort of river and saw people, smoke, explosions -- which I think woke me up."

 

Rescue workers said the only passengers to survive Spain's worst aviation disaster since 1983 were those who fell into a stream and avoided severe burns.

 

The government said only 19 people of the 166 passengers and six crew aboard survived the MD-82 jet crash. The airline listed 157 passengers and 10 unnamed crew. A Spanair spokesman could not account for the discrepancy in numbers.

 

Firefighter Francisco Martinez said that a wheel on his fire engine had caught fire in the extreme heat given off by the plane's wreckage as he tried to rescue survivors.

 

"I took a child into the truck and he thought he was in a film. But he asked 'When will this film end?' and 'Where is my Dad?'. He asked if it was real, if he was in a film, but he wanted the film to end," Martinez said.

 

Relatives gathered at an improvised morgue in a convention center to identify the bodies, many of which were badly burned.

 

Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez said the condition of the bodies made identification very difficult.

 

"Those responsible say that it will take two days at the most to finish identifying people by their fingerprints. DNA identification will take a bit more," Alvarez told SER radio.

 

A passenger list published by Spanair, owned by Scandinavian Airlines Systems (SAS), showed mostly Spanish names but the government said there were 11 nationalities on board including people from Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and Chile.

 

Many were children, rescue officials said.

 

Madrid's regional government declared three days' official mourning and people gathered at the central Plaza de Cibeles square for a minute's silence at midday.

 

In Beijing, Spanish sailors Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz wore black armbands when receiving gold medals in the Olympic Games on Thursday, after officials turned down a request to allow the Spanish flag to fly at half-mast.

 

Spanair chief executive Marcus Hedblom said he had no plans to ground his MD-82 fleet.

 

"We have to closely monitor the records but we see no reason to take such measures, he told a news conference."

 

An official investigation into the crash got under way on Thursday but was not expected to report for several months.

 

On its second take-off attempt, the plane shot off the runway, broke into pieces and burst into flames.

 

Alvarez said the cause of the accident seemed to be "an error in take-off". A source close to the situation said the plane's left engine, made by Pratt & Whitney, had caught fire.

 

The president of pilots' union SEPLA said that pilots routinely practiced taking off and landing in similar situations every six months.

 

"It's been years since engine failure on take-off or a fire has prevented a flight from continuing," said Jose Maria Vazquez, himself a Spanair pilot.

 

Spanair has been struggling with high fuel prices and tough competition. Hours before the crash, pilots had threatened to strike in protest at proposed cuts in staff and routes.

 

El Mundo newspaper reported that the co-pilot, who was among the dead, was on the list of those due to be laid off.

 

(Reuters)

 

Crash Pushes Spanair Closer To The Brink

 

August 21, 2008

The deaths of 153 people on board a Spanair flight at Madrid Airport on Wednesday massively increase the financial pressure on the already-troubled SAS-owned airline, analysts said on Thursday.

 

SAS's shares fell more than 4 percent on Thursday, taking losses since the crash to over 10 percent. The stock has fallen as Spain's number 2 airline seeks to pull back from losses of USD$81 million in the first half.

 

"This is something that couldn't have come at a worse time for Spanair," said Douglas McNeill, transport analyst at Blue Oar broker in London.

 

Falling sales, as apprehensive travelers steer clear of the airline, could now be added to the carrier's financial woes. Just last week SAS said it will cut Spanair's fleet by a quarter and lay off over 1,000 staff -- a third of its work force.

 

"All airline crashes have a short-term impact on revenues before later recovering. But in Spanair's case it could affect the company's viability," an analyst in Spain said.

 

American carriers Pan Am and TWA both eventually went out of business after air disasters in 1988 and 1996 respectively.

 

Bermuda-based insurance firm ACE is expected to pay claims related to flight JK5022 but additional operational costs if the company ultimately decides to ground more of its fleet, coupled with charges from planned lay-offs and a potential decline in revenues may push the company out of business.

 

"If a fall in demand is added to staff conflicts over lay-offs, the company could be at risk of going bankrupt," the analyst said.

 

Directors from SAS and Spanair told reporters on Thursday they would not comment on the future of the Spanish carrier following the crash, or on any impact on its finances or reputation.

 

To keep Spanair alive, analysts say SAS could shrink it even further than the 25 percent cut in capacity it announced last week. If that did not work, SAS could sell the planes Spanair owns rather than rents, although overcapacity in the sector has weakened the market for used aircraft.

 

Scandinavia's SAS had been trying to sell loss-making Spanair for nearly a year before temporarily pulling the sale in June due to a lack of buying interest.

 

"(The crash) won't be the end of Spanair, but it is the end of any possible sale," said an investment banker.

 

While it has a cash pile of SEK8 billion Swedish kroner (USD$1.26 billion), SAS is also struggling with its own strategic issues, with analysts saying it will be difficult for the company to make a profit in 2009 and 2010 given persistently high fuel prices.

 

"SAS has had a mixed track record these last few years, and the oil price rise is causing it major problems," Blue Oar's McNeill said.

 

"Like many other carriers, it must be thinking carefully about whether its future is best served by its current ownership structure."

 

Lufthansa has been cited as a possible buyer or partner for SAS due to its geographic reach and following the recent wave of consolidation in the European airline sector.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Mohd Yohan 0]

R.I.P.........condolence to their families n friends

 

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69917

 

Alonso calls for Madrid plane crash tribute

By Edd Straw Thursday, August 21st 2008, 13:43 GMT

 

Former world champion Fernando Alonso will urge his fellow drivers to join him in paying tribute to 153 victims of yesterday's Madrid aircrash ahead of first practice for the European Grand Prix at Valencia.

 

The Spaniard, who will wear a black armband as a personal act of respect after a Spanair flight crashed shortly after take-off from Madrid airport, is hoping to convince the other 19 drivers on the grid to join him in a minute's silence before heading onto the Valencia street circuit for the first time.

 

"I will wear a black armband and I will talk with the drivers tomorrow," said Alonso. "Maybe we can do something before starting - maybe one minute's silence in the pit-lane."

 

Alonso also believes that the tragedy will overshadow Valencia's first grand prix.

 

"It will definitely change the weekend for me, because it's a tragedy what happened," he said."All the Spanish people are in shock and I am too. It's probably the saddest approach to a weekend I have had.

 

"Tomorrow we will start slowly to get into the weekend - life continues. But it's a different weekend compared to what it should be."

 

A three-day national period of mourning has been declared in Spain.

 

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Madrid Air Crash Death Toll Rises To 154

 

August 24, 2008

The death toll from Wednesday's crash of a Spanair passenger jet at Madrid Airport rose to 154 on Saturday following the death of a badly burnt 31-year-old woman, state news agency EFE reported.

 

Another 18 survivors are still being treated in hospital following the crash when the MD-82 jet crashed on take-off for a flight to the Canary Islands.

 

The Spanish government has promised a comprehensive investigation into the causes of the crash, Spain's worst aviation disaster since 1983.

 

The woman who died on Saturday was named as Maria Luisa Estevez.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Seth K 3]

RIP to the victim

Didn't Sir Branson predicted major air crashes couple of months ago?

[Pieter C. 5]

Spain Defends Air Safety After Spanair Crash

 

August 25, 2008

The Spanish government defended its air safety regulations on Monday after last week's Spanair crash killed 154 people.

 

"The air transport system is safe and trustworthy... the safety control system we have, while it can be improved, is very efficient and meets global standards," said the civil aviation head for the public works ministry, Manuel Bautista.

 

Only 18 people survived after a MD-82 Spanair jet crashed on take-off for a flight to the Canary Islands on Wednesday.

 

Relatives of the dead have accused Spanair of allowing the plane to fly despite technical problems. The airline has denied the charges.

 

The Spanish government has promised a comprehensive investigation into the causes of the crash, Spain's worst aviation disaster since 1983.

 

Bautista declined to provide details of the investigation which he said was ongoing and independent of the ministry.

 

"I don't wish to contaminate or offer my opinions on the investigation until it is finalized," he said.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Spanair Almost Switched Jet Just Before Crash

 

August 29, 2008

Spanair had considered replacing a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 jet just an hour before 154 people were killed when it crashed last week, a government minister said on Friday.

 

But despite a technical problem the airline decided to keep passengers aboard the 15-year-old jet which shot off the runway during takeoff at Madrid Airport on August 20 in Spain's worst air disaster in 25 years.

 

Public Works Minister Magdalena Alvarez told Congress the plane had been due to take off early in the afternoon but left the runway after the fault was detected in a temperature gauge.

 

"The company told the airport that it was considering changing the aircraft," Alvarez said, "But later it told the airport control centre that it was keeping it."

 

Alvarez was summoned before Congress to testify on Spain's air safety procedures in the wake of the crash, which left 18 survivors

 

She said the aircraft operated by Spanair, which is owned by Scandinavia's SAS, had been regularly inspected.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Spanair Says Never Planned To Switch Crashed Jet

 

August 31, 2008

Spanair said on Saturday it never considered replacing a jet that suffered a technical problem shortly before it crashed on take off last week in Spain, killing 154 people.

 

The airline made the comments after a government minister said Spanair told airport authorities it was considering replacing the aircraft, then opted to repair it instead.

 

Spanish radio station La Ser on Saturday played a recording of a telephone conversation in which it said a Spanair official asked the airport about the possibility of changing planes.

 

In a statement, Spanair said it followed procedure and told the airport another aircraft was available for flight JK5022 to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, should it be required.

 

"At no time did it indicate its intention to substitute the aircraft that suffered the accident," the airline said.

 

Spanair presented its version of events as authorities said they had finished identifying all 154 victims of Spain's worst crash in 25 years. The process took so long due to the severity of burns to some bodies

 

The Spanair plane was originally due to take off at 1 pm on August 20. After moving away from the terminal and approaching the runway it returned because of a technical problem.

 

Spanish Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez told Congress on Friday that Spanair then informed Madrid's Barajas Airport it was considering changing the McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft due to a fault in a temperature gauge.

 

"Later it told the airport control centre that it was keeping it," Alvarez said.

 

The airline, owned by Scandinavia's SAS, said its technicians decided not to swap the aircraft as it required only a minor repair that would take no more than 15 minutes.

 

Aviation experts say the problem in the MD-82's temperature gauge could not have caused the accident.

 

After 33 minutes on the stand, it set out again and crashed into a ravine at the edge of the runway moments after takeoff.

 

Only 18 people survived. Fourteen of them remain in hospital, two in very serious condition.

 

An airport video shows the aircraft swerving off course shortly after take off.

 

One engine on the plane may have had a fault that put it into reverse and caused the plane to veer out of control, Spanish newspapers have reported, quoting investigators.

 

El Pais quoted sources at Spanair saying mechanics found the fault three days before the crash and made a temporary fix until the problem could be repaired at a later date.

 

The plane's black boxes have gone for analysis and it is likely to take months to confirm the cause of the crash.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Alan F. 0]

MD-82's flaps not extended?

 

Spanish investigators have not confirmed a report which claims that the Spanair Boeing MD-82 which crashed during departure from Madrid Barajas had not been configured for take-off, and that a cockpit alarm did not activate to alert the crew.

 

The report from the Wall Street Journal, citing preliminary analysis of flight-data and cockpit-voice recorder information, says that both Pratt & Whitney JT8D-217 engines on the aircraft were functioning properly - contradicting early suggestions of an engine fire or other powerplant malfunction - but that the MD-82's flaps had not been extended.

 

Flight JK5022 to Las Palmas crashed on 20 August killing 154 of its 172 occupants. Just before take-off the aircraft had undergone rectification of a technical problem affecting an external temperature probe, but investigators have yet to clarify whether this bore any relation to the subsequent events.

 

Spanair states that, although a replacement aircraft was made available as per standard operating practice, the carrier deemed a switch unnecessary, and likely only to delay the flight.

 

While the configuration information remains uncorroborated by official sources, such circumstances have previously been linked with a fatal MD-82 departure accident.

 

The US National Transportation Safety Board determined that the loss of a Northwest Airlines MD-82 at Detroit, almost exactly 21 years before the Spanair crash, was due to the crew's failure to use the taxi checklist to ensure that the flaps and slats were extended prior to the take-off roll.

 

NTSB investigators also found that the central aural warning system, which should have alerted the crew to the unsafe condition, had not activated because electrical power to the system had been interrupted at a circuit-breaker, for undetermined reasons. Coincidentally the 16 August 1987 accident also killed 154 passengers and crew. There was a sole survivor from the jet, and two fatalities on the ground.

 

(from http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/...onfigured.html)

[Naim 6]

Madrid air crash: Jet was 'not set for take off'

By Mirror.co.uk 16/09/2008

 

The Spanish airliner that crashed at Madrid airport last month killing 154 people did not have its wing flaps set for take off, investigators said today.

 

The pilots were unaware that the vital devices, which provide extra lifting power, had not been deployed because a cockpit warning alert did not go off.

 

The findings are based on information from the MD-82's flight and cockpit voice recorders and contained in a preliminary report on the August 20 crash of the Spanair flight.

 

The report said further study was needed of a malfunction of an air temperature gauge outside the cockpit, which forced the pilot to abandon a first take off attempt. Spanair called it a minor glitch resolved by turning off the gauge because it was not an absolutely essential piece of equipment.

 

But the Spanish investigators said that this might have had something to do with the failure of the cockpit alarm that is supposed to sound when a plane trying to take off is not properly configured.

 

The data recorder showed no evidence of problems with the plane's two engines, it added.

 

But the flight recorder did reveal that from the time the plane's engines started on the runway until the crash itself, sensors measuring the position of the flaps gave a reading of "zero degrees," which means they did not extend as they were supposed to.

 

A loud alarm should have gone off in the cockpit, but "the cockpit voice recorder registered no sound from the take off warning system," the report said.

 

Some of the 18 survivors have said the plane struggled to gain speed and altitude during takeoff. The report said the plane only got 40 feet off the ground.

 

Investigators say the aircraft crashed tail-first, bounced three times as it skidded through a grassy area near the runway, then largely disintegrated and burned after coming to a halt at the edge of a stream.

 

The report said makers McDonnell Douglas recommended after a fatal MD-82 crash in 1987 in Detroit, Michigan, that airlines check the take-off warning system before each flight.

 

But Spanair's policy is to check the system before a plane's first flight of the day and during stopovers, but in the latter case only if an entirely new cockpit crew takes over for the continuing leg.

 

If one member of the cockpit crew stays on for the next leg, Spanair does not carry out such checks and this was the case of the plane that crashed, the investigators said.

 

The flight originated in Barcelona, stopped off in Madrid and was to go on to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, and the pilot and co-pilot were not changed.

 

Spanair official declined to comment.

 

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2...15875-20739115/

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Spanair Jet Crashed After Alert Failure

 

September 16, 2008

A failure in the cockpit alert system contributed to the crash of a Spanair jet at Madrid Airport last month which killed 154 people, El Pais newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing preliminary investigation results.

 

The alert system failed to warn pilots that wing flaps had not extended correctly as the McDonell Douglas jet accelerated along the runway on August 20, the report said, according to El Pais, which said the plane also had overheating in a temperature gauge.

 

Spanair, owned by Scandinavia's SAS, had no comment on the report. The crash, the worst in Spain in 25 years, came as the airline had already announced it was laying off a third of its work force due to fierce competition and high fuel prices.

 

Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said the government would make no comment on the investigation until an investigating committee had completed its findings.

 

"In my experience, an accident doesn't happen for a single reason," Rubalcaba told Telecinco television.

 

"We are going to wait for the report to be finished to find out what happened because there are many theories."

 

Information from the black box data recorder indicated that the jet had risen just 40 feet (12 metres) when an automated voice in the cabin warned "stall, stall" before the tail struck the runway and the plane crashed into a ditch, El Pais said.

 

The MD-82 jet arrived in Madrid's new Terminal 4 from Barcelona at 10:13 and was preparing to fly on to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands at 13:06 when the pilots informed the flight tower of a "small problem" and taxied back to hangar.

 

Technicians found overheating in a gauge and removed a fuse from the circuit. After temperature returned to normal the plane taxied back to the runway.

 

The investigation has still to conclude if failures in the alert system, the wing flaps and the overheating are related, El Pais said.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Robert 0]

The video of the crash has been released -

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...ases-video.html

[Naim 6]

Mechanics face manslaughter charge for Madrid air crash

The judge investigating the Madrid air crash that killed 154 people has called three mechanics for questioning on suspicion of manslaughter.

 

By Fiona Govan in Madrid

Last Updated: 11:16AM BST 16 Oct 2008

 

The two technicians who checked the plane and cleared it for take-off on August 20 and Spanair's head of maintenance at Barajas airport are facing charges of 154 counts of negligent homicide for failing to detect faults that led to the tragedy.

 

Judge Javier Perez has launched a judicial investigation, independent from that of Spain's Civil Aviation authority to determine the causes of the crash.

 

Spanair flight JK5022 bound for the Canary Islands crashed on its second take-off attempt after the wing flaps failed to deploy. An alarm system in the cockpit failed to warn pilots of the fault and the twin jet engine rose about 40 feet before it veered to the right and slammed into the ground tail first.

 

The back of the aircraft broke apart and the fuselage bounced three times before crashing into a shallow ravine and bursting into flames. Only 18 people survived Spain's worst air accident in 25 years.

 

The preliminary report by Civil Aviation investigators absolved the pilots of any blame for the accident after data from the black box recorder showed they had followed the correct procedures.

 

Judge Perez is investigating whether the maintenance crew charged with repairing an earlier fault that led to the first take off attempt to be aborted were negligent in making the necessary repairs.

 

It appears that they may not have checked whether a problem detected in an air temperature gauge on the outside of the aircraft was caused by a mechanical fault that affected other parts of the plane.

 

It has also emerged that the same aircraft suffered problems with wing flap deployment on two occasions in the days leading up the crash.

 

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...-air-crash.html