Alex Trelinski
AIRCRAFT manufacturer Boeing has paid out an undisclosed sum to settle a lawsuit after a Spanair plane crashed in August 2008 with 154 people losing their lives.
It was Spain’s deadliest air crash since an Avianca plane crashed near Madrid in 1983- killing 181 people.
Spanair Flight 5022 crashed on August 20th, 2008, at Madrid airport as it was departing for Gran Canaria.
Following an initially rejected take-off, on its second attempt, the aircraft stalled on take-off – bursting into flames as it subsequently hit the ground and came to a stop by a stream at the side of the runway.
Some of the 18 survivors had been thrown out of the fuselage into the stream, reducing the severity of their burns.
The aircraft involved in the crash was a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, with Boeing having acquired the manufacturer in 1997.
The lawsuit, which was filed by Brent Coon & Associates, claimed that Boeing ‘was aware of a mechanical defect that increased the risk of error during takeoff but failed to apply a known fix to all of their planes’.
Speaking about the outcome of the lawsuit, the Spanish counsel to the plaintiffs, Ivan De Miguel Perez, said: “While the terms of the settlements are confidential, we believe that our clients are receiving the maximum amount they would have been awarded by the court under the laws applicable to these types of claims in Spanish law.”
Initial reports suggested that the MD-82’s flaps and slats had been incorrectly configured for take-off, and further investigation revealed that the aircraft’s take-off warning system had not sounded.
The aircraft was around 15 years old at the time of the crash and had been flying for Spanair since 1999 after spending the first five years of its life with Korean Air.
The crash exacerbated Spanair’s financial difficulties, ultimately leading to the airline’s closure in January 2012.
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