(August 21, 2008)—The crew of the plane that crashed Wednesday in Madrid killing 153 reported an air intake valve overheating before a first attempt at takeoff, but it was not immediately clear Thursday whether that was a factor in the crash that killed 153 people, owner Spanair said.
The crash was Spain’s worst air disaster in nearly a quarter of a century.
Nineteen people survived, many of whom are critically injured.
Spanair spokesman Javier Mendoza said a valve was reported overheating in the front of the plane under the cockpit and technicians corrected the problem by turning it off.
Mendoza said the device is not on a list of equipment that has to be functional for a plane to take off.
He told a news conference that turning off such a device in these circumstances is an accepted procedure.
The plane crashed on its second attempt to take off for the Canary Islands.
Mendoza said the MD-82's two black box recorders have been recovered but said one is damaged.
Spanair is Spain's second largest airline, after Iberia.
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