Summary

• Boeing settles lawsuit over Spanair Flight 5022 crash after 15 years for an undisclosed amount.
• Lawsuit claimed Boeing knew of a mechanical defect and failed to fix it.
• The crash of the MD-82 was due to incorrectly configured slats, echoing another MD-82 crash years earlier.

Boeing has settled a lawsuit arising from the deadly crash of Spanair Flight 5022 in August 2008. Following a series of delays, the case was settled for an undisclosed amount, more than 15 years after the crash. The aircraft involved in the crash was a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, with Boeing having acquired the manufacturer in 1997.

The lawsuit, which was filed by Brent Coon & Associates, claimed that Boeing "was aware of a mechanical defect that increased the risk of error during takeoff but failed to apply a known fix to all of their planes." Speaking about the outcome of the lawsuit, the Spanish counsel to the plaintiffs, Ivan De Miguel Perez, said,

"While the terms of the settlements are confidential, we believe that our clients are receiving the maximum amount they would have been awarded by the court under the laws applicable to these types of claims in Spanish law."

A tragic chain of events

Spanair Flight 5022 crashed on August 20th, 2008, at Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD), as it was departing for Gran Canaria Airport (LPA). Following an initially rejected take-off, on its second attempt, the aircraft stalled on take-off from runway 36L, bursting into flames as it subsequently hit the ground and came to a stop by a stream at the side of the runway.

Of the 172 passengers and crew members onboard, 154 died, and just 18 survived, making Spanair Flight 5022 the deadliest air crash in Spain since the crash of avianca Flight 011 in 1983. Some of those who survived had been ejected from the fuselage into the stream, reducing the severity of their burns.

Initial reports suggested that the MD-82's flaps and slats had been incorrectly configured for take-off, and further investigation revealed that the aircraft's take-off warning system had not sounded. Curiously, more than 20 years earlier, incorrectly configured slats had also led to the crash of another MD-82 - Northwest Airlines Flight 255, which crashed on take-off at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) in August 1987.

Spanair and the McDonnell Douglas MD-82

The McDonnell Douglas MD-82, registered as EC-HFP, had recently been retained in the Star Alliance livery, showcasing the airline's membership of the world's largest airline alliance. The aircraft was around 15 years old at the time of the crash and had been flying for Spanair since 1999 after spending the first five years of its life with Korean Air.

The crash exacerbated Spanair's financial difficulties, ultimately leading to the airline's closure in January 2012. Fast-forward to today, and the news of the lawsuit being settled comes at a time when Boeing is suffering from the fallout of the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 incident earlier this year.

What do you think of Boeing settling this lawsuit resulting from the crash of Spanair Flight 5022 in August 2008? Share your thoughts by commenting below.

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  Boeing

  Stock Code:

  BA

  Date Founded:

  1916-07-15

  CEO:

  Dave Calhoun

  Headquarters Location:

  Chicago, USA

  Key Product Lines:

  Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, Boeing 777, Boeing 787

  Business Type:

  Planemaker