Mystery surrounds plane tragedy

2008-08-21 07:57

Madrid - The accident that killed 153 people on board a Spanish airliner at Madrid airport on Wednesday occurred as the plane was taking off, but other circumstances of the disaster remain unclear.

Transport Minister Magdalena Alvarez said the MD82 had just taken off, but it was not clear if the back wheels had left the ground.

Spanish media said the left engine caught fire during take-off and the unstable aircraft veered off the right of the runway, before breaking up in the shock, with fire spreading rapidly through the fuselage.

Some experts said the fire in the engine was not enough to explain the accident, and other causes may be to blame. The plane should have veered to the left if there was a loss of power in the left engine.

The two black boxes were found and were to be analysed.

There must be "an in-depth inquiry" to avoid such accidents in the future, said Alvarez.

She said the plane had earlier begun taxiing to the runway, before turning back because of an undisclosed technical problem, which caused a one-hour delay in the take-off.

Spanish media said the pilot had earlier signalled a malfunction in an exterior temperature gauge.

Secretary of State for Communication Nieves Goicoechea ruled out terrorism, saying there was "no doubt that it was an accident".

Spain's armed Basque separatist group ETA has recently stepped up its campaign of bombings, although it has never targeted an airplane in its 40-year campaign.

The McDonnell Douglas 82 is a short-to-long haul aircraft of an old design that is still widely used throughout the world.

The plane involved in Wednesday's accident was built 15 years ago, not a particularly long time for a civilian aircraft, and was overhauled early this year, Spanair said.

The Boeing company, which took over McDonnell Douglas in 1997 and handles maintenance for the MD 82, said it is ready to help in any way it can.

- AFP