Pilot error not to blame for Madrid air crash, say investigators

The preliminary report by investigators into the Madrid air crash appears to absolve the pilots of any blame for the accident which killed 154 people. The crash on August 20 is blamed on a fault which prevented the wing flaps from opening on the Spanair MD-82.

Initial findings by the Civil Aviation authority show the pilots followed recommended protocol in the moments leading up to the crash of flight JK5022, which was bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.

Evidence from the black box data recorder indicated that the pilots made the appropriate checks on take-off but that an alert system in the cockpit failed to warn them that the wing flaps had not deployed correctly.

Two other alarms, warning of nearby ground and imminent stall, did work as the pilots struggled to gain control when the plane left the runway at Barajas airport.

The twin engine jet 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 disaster for 25 years.

The report is expected to be made public later this week but investigators warned that it could be another year before the exact causes for the failures are known.

FMI: Telegraph