Spanair Flight JK5022 crashed and burned while attempting to take off from Madrid’s Barajas airport today, killing 149 of the 177 people aboard. The flight was heading to the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands are a popular tourist spot for Europeans, and the crash comes at the height of the tourist season.
Details of the accident are still being pieced together, but it is known that the flight was delayed for an hour for technical problems. The plane was able to get airborne before it crashed at the end of the runway. It is thought that there may have been an explosion on board the plane. Early reports also said the plane may have lost one of its engines. The resulting fire also sparked a grassfire.
Spanair is a budget airline owned by Scandinavian SAS, and is one of Spain’s three major private airlines. The flight was carrying passengers from Lufthansa Flight 2554, which officials have said may mean many of those on board are German.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team to Madrid to help in the investigation because the aircraft is an American-made McDonnell Douglas MD-82.
If you or a loved one has lost someone in an airline disaster, please contact an experienced personal injury lawyer in your area.
