Madrid plane crash report leaked
Leaked version of report into Spain's worst plane crash for 25 years blames wing flaps for disaster that killed 154
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Tuesday, 16, Sep 2008 12:34
An official report into Spain's worst plane crash for 25 years has reportedly been leaked to the country's press.
The report – obtained by newspaper El Pais – claims that wing flaps failing to deploy were behind the crash at Madrid airport in August that killed 154 people.
Investigators added that the pilots had been unaware of the problem as warning lights were not automatically activated.
Voice and data recordings obtained from the wreckage of Spanair flight JK 5002 also revealed that the plane was on its second takeoff attempt when it crashed.
The Spanish government has refused to comment on the leaked report, which originally aimed to investigate claims a fire in the plane's left engine was behind the disaster.
Nineteen people survived the crash, which took place at the end of August at Madrid's Barajas airport.
The air accident was Spain's worst for decades. Fifteen years ago 180 people died in Madrid when an Avianca Boeing 747 went down, while in 1977 two 747s crashed at Tenerife airport, killing 583.