Claris Law Legal Blogging Community

Editor: James T. Crouse
Profession: Aviation Accident Attorney

Category: Plane Crashes

Wing flaps not opening are said to be the cause of Spain's worst plane crash in 25 years - the Madrid plane crash in which 154 people perished. A newspaper, El Pais, stated a preliminary investigation has concluded at this point in the investigation the pilot was not aware the flaps had not extended because an alert system did not do what it was supposed to do - alert the pilot. The horn that is supposed to sound to alert the pilots the flaps had not been set, did not sound. The flaps are needed to generate the lift the plane needs to gain altitude and to fly.

We do know the temperature gauge on the MD-82 also overheated and that was disconnected - this is not thought to be indicated in the problem with the flaps. However, the first attempted take off was cancelled due to the gauge indicating an overheating problem. The technicians removed a fuse from the circuit and, the temperature returned to normal, the plane went back to the runway and to the fateful takeoff. The "black box" information showed the plane had gotten to about 40 feet before alarms warned it was stalling - the tail hit the runway and the plane crashed into a ditch. This is consistent to the eye witness reports who said the plane took off but stalled within seconds.

As the investigation continues, Spain's interior minister has declined to make a comment until the final report, stating:
"In my experience, an accident doesn't happen for a single reason,"