A PRELIMINARY report investigating the Madrid plane crash on August 20 has revealed the wing flaps were not properly opened at take-off stage.
The document, which was leaked to the Spanish press on Monday, said the pilots of the MD-82 jet, flight JK 5022, that was heading to the Canary Islands were not aware of the problem.
The report is based on the cockpit recordings from the aircraft’s black box. It concludes that the cockpit warning alarm did not go off.
Reports in the Spanish press say the investigation is to continue as it is still not clear if the incident, that killed 154 people, was a result of technical fault or human error.
The pilots had aborted a previous take-off attempt after detecting high temperatures and after technical assistance, the plane resumed its position on the runway.
By then, the flaps had been retracted but no sign was triggered in the cockpit area, it is reported.
The Spanish Minister for Interior Affairs, Alfredo Rubalcaba, stated on a Spanish TV station that the government will not make any official statement before the final report on the incident is issued by the investigating team.
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