CCTV footage shows last moments of Madrid plane crash

Video reveals Spanair flight JK5022 overran airport runway before crashing into flames, killing 154 people
Flight JK5022's crash was Spain's worst air disaster for 25 years
Link to video: CCTV shows Madrid plane crash

CCTV footage has revealed the dramatic last moments of the Spanair flight that crashed last month near Madrid, killing 154 people.

The minute-long clip shows the aircraft's takeoff from Madrid's Barajas airport.

But instead of beginning its ascent, the plane is seen flying barely above ground before overrunning the airport strip. It careers through a field before exploding into flames, sending a thick plume of black smoke into the sky.

Earlier this week, investigators revealed that flight JK5022 had failed to deploy wing flaps used for takeoff.

Passengers were en route to the Canary Islands when the aircraft crashed on August 20. A preliminary report said the pilots had been unaware of the malfunction because a cockpit warning signal had not activated.

The report's findings are based on information from the MD-82's flight data and cockpit voice recorders. The investigators did not say if the fault was responsible for the crash.

Spanair has confirmed the findings were distributed to the government and the plane's manufacturers.

Only 18 of the 172 passengers and crew survived. It was Spain's worst air accident for 25 years.

Last month it was revealed that the Spanish pilots' union, Sepla, sent a series of letters and emails to Spanair's senior management warning of safety worries more than a year before the crash.

One letter addressed to Lars Nygaard, the former Spanair director, and Marcus Hedblom, the present managing director, warned: "The operative chaos is putting passengers at risk." Spanair did not respond to attempts by the Guardian at the time to verify the union's claims.

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