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Old 3rd Oct 2008, 17:23
  #2091 (permalink)  
justme69
 
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Absolutely.

At this point, every "official" leaked info and "unofficial" info we may have only indicate that:

-Flaps were likely retracted at the moment of take off. The DFR and other circunstancial evidence point to that. We don't know why for sure.
-The TOWS didn't sound during take off. The CVR doesn't show a trace of them. We don't know why for sure.
-The RAT probe heater was turned on while the airplane was on the ground soon before it took off. We don't know for sure why. It was disconnected by a technician.
-A failure on the R2-5 relay that "turns on/off" both, the TOWS and the RAT probe heater could fit the picture of a take off with flaps not deployed and the TOWS inadvertendly inoperative, as it would have disabled TOWS on the ground while also turning the RAT probe heater on the ground and basically produce no other symptoms.
-While on the air, the airplane made some alternating left/right "abnormal" rolls, some of them quite steep as recorded by the DFR and narrated by witnesses and survivors.

And, as we know, the way the airplane behaved during the accident (longish take off roll/rotation, on-air steep "erratic" rolls consistent with wing stalls) COULD fit the picture of trying to take off with flaps/slats retracted and inop TOWS.

Everything else is speculative. Everybody is opened to the investigation giving more details so that better conclusions can be reached. Until then, we just talk of scenarios that could be likely but could also be wrong.

Nobody is judging anybody. We are just using possible scenarios where some choose to favor crew error (that could be the wrong case) and others some system malfunction (that could also be the wrong case).

Even some major news agencies, as in this piece dated TODAY, bet on weather issues as a likely main cause for the accident: La investigación apunta a las turbulencias en el despegue como causa del siniestro de Spanair. europapress.es

(Translation of headline: "The investigation points to turbulence during take off as the cause of the Spanair accident")

Last edited by justme69; 3rd Oct 2008 at 22:37.
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