Wing flaps and alarm failed on Madrid crash jet

Wing flaps failed on the Spanair flight that crashed last month and an alarm that is supposed to warn pilots of the problem never sounded, according to a preliminary report yesterday on the accident that killed 154 people.

The investigators did not say whether they believed the flap fault caused the 20 August crash in Madrid that killed all but 18 people on the MD-82.

Investigators said they needed to further study a faulty air temperature gauge outside the cockpit, a problem that forced the pilot to abandon a first attempt to take off.

Spanair has described it as a minor glitch that was resolved by turning off the gauge. The plane crashed an hour later on its second attempt to take off.

However, the report said the faulty gauge might be linked to the failure of the cockpit alarm horn, which is supposed to sound when a departing plane is not properly configured to get off the ground.

The findings were drawn from the flight data and cockpit voice recorders.

FMI: The Scotsman