Investigation into Spanair plane crash in Madrid that killed 154 approved by Spanish parliament

AN INVESTIGATION into the Flight 5022 crash that killed 154 people has been approved following a vote in Spain’s parliament.

The vote is set to see commission established which will investigate the causes of the Spanair accident, which only 18 people survived.

The initiative came from the Podemos group in the parliament’s Congress of deputies and was supported by the Esquerra Republicana de Cataluña (ERC). The Partido Popular (PP) abstained from the vote.

Joan Oloriz, an ERC deputy, said the vote would end almost 10 years of frustration, anxiety and defencelessness on the part of the victims and their families over the crash.

“This commission should have been implemented a long time ago,” he said.

 Members of the Association of People Affected by Flight 5022 were also present when the vote took place.

Spanair Flight 5022 crashed just after takeoff on the runway of Madrid Airport on August 20 just after 2.20pm.

The national aviation accident investigation authority’s (CIAIAC) final report into the accident stated the crash happened because the plane’s flaps and slats were not deployed.

The crew had lost control of the aircraft, which stalled just after takeoff, and did not respond properly to the stall in part because the plane’s warning system failed.

They also did not complete all the pre-flight checks, according to the authority’s report.

It is hoped the new commission into the crash will establish the truth about what happened in the lead up to the crash. It is set to last six months and supporters argue it could lead to improved air safety standards for Spain.

Representatives of the political parties in Parliament will sit on the commission. The previous investigation was undertaken by CIAIAC and the courts.

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Joe Gerrard

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