Accident investigators in Spain have published a preliminary report into a plane crash that claimed 154 lives at Madrid airport in August.
The MD-82 plane reached an altitude of just 18m (40 ft) on take-off, before crash-landing and bursting into flames as it careered off the runway. 

The plane's wing flaps were wrongly positioned, but a warning system failed to alert the pilots, investigators say.
Their preliminary report concluded that the wing flaps (which are designed to provide lift on take-off) appear not to have been deployed.

It is unclear why, but the error was compounded by the failure of the cockpit alert system, which should have sounded a warning to the pilots.
The investigators, who studied voice and flight data recorders, found no evidence of prior engine problems, and concluded that the plane caught fire only after hitting the ground.

The report does not apportion blame, and it stresses that the two Spanair pilots did carry out routine checks before take-off.

A judge will now decide whether anyone can be held criminally responsible for western Europe's worst air disaster in two decades.

Source: BBC News

The International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICAO ) wants to stop the automatic prosecution of pilots, air traffic control officers and other frontline staff following accidents or incidents. At present, automatic prosecution is standard practice in many states.