Investigators Look At Flap Settings In Spanair Accident
Findings Dispute Initial Reports Of Engine Fire
In the aftermath of last week's devastating takeoff crash in Madrid,
investigators immediately focused on witness reports of a fire coming from
the left engine nacelle of the Spanair MD-82... but it now appears those
reports may have been inaccurate.
According to the Wall Street Journal, officials are taking a closer look at
the flap settings at the time of takeoff, after determining both turbofans
were making power as the jet sped down the runway at Madrid Barajas
International Airport on August 20.
People close to the investigation told the WSJ that based on components
recovered in the wreckage, along with airport video footage that shows the
plane taking off, there's little evidence to support earlier claims the
airliner's engine was aflame before the aircraft departed the runway at MAD.
153 people were killed in the accident, out of 172 people
onboard.
Authorities warn it's still too early to lay blame on any one factor. Data
from the airliner's cockpit voice and flight data recorders is still being
analyzed, and investigators' jobs are made more difficult by the severe fire
damage to the wreckage.
Given what's known of the accident situation, however -- a heavily-laden jet
that failed to climb out of ground effect, on what should have been a
routine takeoff from a 10,000-foot runway -- investigators say if there
wasn't a power problem, one of the few remaining possibilities is an issue
with the configuration of the plane's flaps and wing slats.
They add it's possible the plane's flight crew was distracted during their
preflight, and neglected to set takeoff flaps... or, they may have received
a faulty indication in the cockpit.
Another possibility -- and one supported by reports the plane swerved off
the runway -- is that the flaps deployed asymmetrically, resulting in each
wing producing different levels of lift. Improper flap settings would have
also been especially problematic if, in fact, the airliner did suffer an
engine problem on takeoff.
Again, investigators stress it's too soon to say for certain if there was a
flap problem on Spanair Flight 5022. In fact, at this stage they are fairly
certain of only one thing.
An earlier defect with one of the plane's outside temperature sensors, that
led the flight crew to abort their first takeoff attempt and return to the
gate for repairs, doesn't appear to have been a direct factor in the
subsequent crash.
FMI:
www.spanair.com,
www.ntsb.gov,
www.boeing.com
aero-news.net
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