First Reports Of Madrid Air Crash As Reported On BBC News 20 August 2008 RIP Copyright BBC News Copyright Sky News. Spanair Flight JK 5022, from Barajas Airport in Madrid to Gran Canaria Airport in Gran Canaria, Spain, crashed just after take off from runway 36L of Barajas Airport at 14:25 CEST (12:25 UTC) on 20 August 2008. The aircraft was a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, registration EC-HFP. It was the first fatal accident for Spanair (part of the SAS Group) in the 20-year history of the company, and the 14th fatal accident and 24th hull loss involving MD-80 series aircraft. It is the world's worst aviation accident in 2008 and Spain's worst in 25 years.[1] 154 people died, six while en route to the hospital, one overnight and one in the hospital three days later. The accident occurred at 14:25 local time, seconds after takeoff.[4][5][6] The aircraft, christened "Sunbreeze", registration EC-HFP,[4] (manufacturer's serial number 53148, Douglas line number 2142)[7] had been delivered to Korean Air on 18 November 1993 and was acquired by Spanair in July 1999. It was carrying a total of 172 people of which 162 were passengers, four deadheading crew members and six flight crew.[6] Video taken by the Spanish airport authority AENA shows the engines neither exploded nor caught fire while the Spanair MD-82 was taking off.[8][9] The aircraft then rolled to the right,[10] was unable to maintain adequate airspeed to prevent altitude loss and crashed in the vicinity of the runway, breaking into at least two parts which were engulfed by the subsequent explosion. Spanair reported that the pilot had previously attempted and aborted a departure due to a sensor reporting excessive temperature in an air intake, and that the temperature sensor was de-activated on the ground (reportedly an established procedure since that sensor is redundant), delaying departure by over an hour.[11] Another takeoff was attempted, during which the fatal accident occurred.[12] The flight was also a Star Alliance codeshare operated on behalf of Lufthansa as LH 2554.[13] Seven passengers with Lufthansa tickets had reservations. Four of the Lufthansa passengers were from Germany; however, the number of Lufthansa passengers who boarded the flight is yet to be confirmed. Initial reports of casualties were mixed. Sources initially reported as few as 2 to 45 deaths; however, as the incident unfolded, the figure was quickly revised to upwards of 100. The Associated Press reports that a Spanish emergency rescue official claimed as few as 26 passengers survived the crash.[15][16][17] The rest died either in the crash or immediately after in the violent fire.[4][12][18][19][20] By 21 August, reports clarified there were 153 fatalities and only 19 survivors, however a survivor later died in hospital, bringing the total death toll to 154. Earlier reports had counted 26 survivors, but six of them died before arriving at hospital, and another died overnight.[2] According to government officials, at least 15 of the deceased are not Spanish, including at least five Germans, two French, a Mauritanian, a Turk, a Bulgarian, a Gambian, an Italian, an Indonesian and two Brazilians. Among the survivors there are at least three non-Spanish citizens; a Swede, a Finn and a Bolivian.[21] Also a 30 year old woman with British and Spanish dual citizenship survived with no burns as she was flung from row 6, still attached to her seat, and landed in a nearby stream. She suffered a punctured lung and broken left arm. Because of this ejection, she was spared the horrific burns that the majority of the other passengers suffered.[22] Ervigio Corral, the head of the emergency services rescue team, said that the crash flung many of the survivors into a creek, lessening the severity of their burns.
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