Spanish investigators release interim report on 2008 Spanair MD-82 crash at Madrid

by B .N. Sullivan

Spain's Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil (CIAIAC) released it interim report yesterday regarding the Aug. 20, 2008 Spanair Flight JK5022 accident. The MD-82 aircraft crashed at Madrid's Barajas Airport as it was departing for a scheduled passenger flight to Gran Canaria Airport (Las Palmas) in the Canary Islands.

The aircraft reached an altitude of only 40 ft above ground before descending and impacting the ground; it was destroyed by the impact and post-crash fire. Of the 172 people on board, 152 perished, including all six crew members. Eighteen of the survivors were seriously injured.

The lengthy interim report CIAIAC report (links below) presents factual information without stating probable cause. The report does note that the aircraft's flaps and slats were not set in a configuration appropriate for takeoff; the pilots omitted the flaps/slats item from the checklist after starting the aircraft's engines; and the flight data recorder indicated that flaps were not deployed. The report also says, "During the entire takeoff run until the end of the CVR recording, no sounds were heard relating to the system warning of an inadequate takeoff configuration (TOWS)." The stick shaker and aural stall warnings were recorded by the CVR, beginning just after rotation.

The investigation is continuing.

Links to the CIAIAC's Interim Report A-032/2008:

• English (92-page 'pdf' file)
• Spanish (96-page 'pdf' file)

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Officials release preliminary report on the Spanair MD-82 crash at Madrid

Spain's Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil (CIAIAC) has released a preliminary report concerning the crash of Spanair Flight JK5022 at Madrid on August 20, 2008. Readers will recall that the MD-82 aircraft (registration EC-HFP) crashed while attempting to take off from Madrid's Barajas International Airport. The aircraft was en route to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. Only 19 of the 172 passengers and crew on board survived the accident. One of the survivors later died of injuries, bringing the total death toll to 154.

The CIAIAC preliminary report details the sequence of events leading up to the accident. Although no transcript of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) was provided, the report indicates that the crew performed normal checklists prior to leaving the gate and during taxi. During the takeoff roll, the crew call-outs were normal. V1 was reached at 37 seconds after the release of the brakes, with rotation two seconds later at a speed of 154 knots. Six seconds after rotation, the stick shaker activated, along with an audible stall warning. The aircraft reached a maximum height of only 40 feet before it hit the ground.

Perhaps the most significant findings were that data from the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) showed the flaps set at 0 degrees from the time the engines were started until the aircraft impacted the ground; and that throughout the take-off roll and until the end of the recording, neither the DFDR nor the CVR indicated that any warning was activated to alert the crew of an inappropriate takeoff configuration. In other words, the aircraft was not correctly configured for takeoff, but the crew seemed to be unaware that this was so.

Regarding the examination of the control surfaces and actuators retrieved from the wreckage, the report noted that five of the aircraft's six flap actuators had been found. Of those, four could extend and retract freely, having lost hydraulic pressure, while the fifth was severely damaged by the post-crash fire. The report also states that two control cylinders for the flaps were recovered and examined. Although they were damaged by fire, they found evidence was that "consistent with a condition of slats-retracted."

Please note that while this report presents factual findings, the report does not offer conclusions regarding probable cause for the accident.

Here is the link to the page on the CIAIAC website where the entire text of the report can be found (Spanish language): 20-08-2008. EC-HFP. McDonnell Douglas MD-82. Aeropuerto de Barajas (Madrid)

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New details about the Spanair MD-82 crash in Madrid

Spanish officials held a press conference earlier today regarding the fatal crash last week of a Spanair MD-82 aircraft at Madrid's Barajas International Airport. The investigation into the cause of the accident, which happened on August 20, 2008 as Spanair Flight JK5022 was departing Madrid for the Canary Islands, is ongoing. However Francisco Javier Soto of the Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil (CIAIAC), the Spanish agency leading the accident investigation, provided some details about what is known so far.

According to an account of the press conference published by the Spanish news service El Mundo, the aircraft was airborne only briefly before hitting the ground tail first, and then bouncing three times across the area adjacent to runway 36 L at Barajas Airport. The aircraft's tailcone is believed to have separated first; subsequently the rest of the aircraft broke up progressively with each bounce and caught fire.

Soto stated that no skid marks or other signs of contact by the aircraft were found on the runway itself, but that the aircraft continued for about 1,200 meters after it left the runway, bouncing over the uneven terrain. Soto indicated that the uneven ground contributed to the destruction of the aircraft.

Both of the aircraft's engines have been recovered, and Soto said that their condition was good enough to expect them to yield important information. Both the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorder (FDR) have been recovered, and data from both devices is being evaluated. The FDR was damaged, but technicians in England are in the process of enhancing the data. Soto indicated that the data obtained from both devices was expected to provide valuable contributions to the investigation.

The Commission expects to issue a preliminary accident report within a month. That report will present factual information, but the investigation into the accident's cause will continue for some time.

The death toll from the Spanair accident has climbed to 154, as one of the initial survivors has succumbed to injuries. Two accident survivors, including a child, have been released from medical care to date.

Names of the crew members have not been officially released, however news reports have said that one flight attendant, identified as Antonia Martinez Jimenez, has survived. She was not working on the accident flight, but was on board as a (dead-heading) passenger.

An online Condolences Book has been established on the Spanair website.

UPDATE Sep. 17, 2008: Aviation news website Flight International published an article today with information from the draft report on the Spanair accident by Spain's Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil (CIAIAC). The report includes a timeline of events leading to the crash. Here is the link to the article: Inquiry timeline details Spanair MD-82 crash sequence - Flight International, Sep. 17, 2008

RELATED: Click here to view all posts about Spanair Flt 5022 on Aircrew Buzz.

Fatal Spanair MD-82 crash at Madrid

A Spanair MD-82 aircraft crashed at Madrid's Barajas Airport earlier today. The accident happened at 14:45 local time as Spanair Flight JK5022 was taking off from Madrid bound for Gran Canaria Airport (Las Palmas) in the Canary Islands. Spanair has confirmed that "the aircraft was carrying a total of 172 people, of which 162 were passengers, 4 passive crew members and 6 flight crew." Multiple fatalities and injuries have been reported, however the exact number of fatalities and the extent of injuries to survivors is unclear at this time.

A press advisory issued by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is sending a team to Spain to assist with the investigation of the Spanair accident, identified the aircraft's (Spanish) registration number as EC-HFP. The NTSB advisory mentioned that the "The aircraft broke apart and a post-crash fire ensued."

Spanair Flight JK5022 is a code share flight with Lufthansa Flight LH 2554. Spanair, which is a unit of SAS Group (Scandinavian Airlines), is headquartered at Palma de Mallorca.

Updates will be posted here on Aircrew Buzz as soon as more factual information becomes available.

Condolences to the families, colleagues and friends of those who perished in today's accident.

UPDATE: Spanair has published the list of Flight JK 5022 passengers on the airline's website.

Link: http://www.spanair.com/web/en-gb/DSite/Listing-of-passengers/

UPDATE Aug. 21, 2008: Aviation news website FlightGlobal.com is reporting that only 19 of the 172 people who were on board the Spanair Flight JK5022 survived the crash.

An article on Forbes.com, quoting Spanair's deputy managing director Javier Mendoza, says that the aircraft's 'Black Boxes' -- the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder -- have been recovered from the crash scene.

"One seems to be a bit damaged, but they are confident they can use the information. We must wait for the results of the analyses," said Mendoza.

UPDATE Aug. 26, 2008: More information about this accident can be found here: New details about the Spanair MD-82 crash in Madrid

UPDATE Oct. 10, 2008: Spain's Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil (CIAIAC) has released a preliminary report about the Spanair MD-82 crash at Madrid.

UPDATE Aug. 18, 2009: Spanish investigators release interim report on 2008 Spanair MD-82 crash at Madrid - includes links to both the Spanish and English language versions of the report.

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