How a series of checklist omissions led to a fatal takeoff
In short: On 20 August 2008, Spanair Flight 5022 departed Madrid for Gran Canaria. What began as a routine flight ended in a catastrophic stall, driven not by engine failure, but by a breakdown in the fundamental safety barriers designed to protect the crew.
The crash of the McDonnell Douglas MD-82, named Sunbostreeze, was the result of a fatal configuration error. During the second takeoff attempt from Madrid-Barajas Airport, the pilots failed to deploy the aircraft's flaps and slats. Without these high-lift devices, the wings could not generate sufficient lift, causing the plane to stall just four seconds after liftoff. The aircraft, registered as EC-HFP, had been part of the Spanair fleet since July 1999 after being acquired from Korean Air. This specific MD-82 airframe was manufactured in late 1993.
Investigation by the CIAIAC revealed that three critical safety barriers failed simultaneously. First, the crew omitted the 'set and check' step in the After Start checklist and failed to visually verify the flap/slat position during the 'Take Off Imminent' phase. Second, the Take-off Warning System (TOWS), which should have alerted the pilots to the incorrect configuration, did not sound. While investigators examined a faulty ground-sensing relay (R2-5) that caused an overheating temperature probe earlier that day, they could not conclusively determine why the TOWS failed. Earlier that day, the flight had already been aborted because of excessive temperatures in the ram air turbine probe. Maintenance workers had even deactivated the probe's heater to address the overheating issue.
The human element was equally significant. The investigation found that the co-pilot had simply repeated the correct values during the verification checklist without actually checking them. Furthermore, the crew's response to the stall—momentarily reducing engine power and increasing the pitch angle to 18 degrees—exacerbated the condition. Of the 172 people on board, 154 perished, with 73% of the victims dying primarily due to the post-impact fire. The tragedy, which occurred at 14:24 CEST, remains the worst aviation accident in Spain in 25 years. The airline eventually ceased all operations on 27 January 2012.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Spanair Flight 5022
- Also: Wikidata — Spanair Flight 5022 · CC0
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