So far there have been no groundbreaking discoveries regarding the cause of the Aug. 20 Spanair crash beyond what was known originally: a problem with the plane’s wing flaps and the failure of a cockpit alarm, evidence of which is backed up by the plane’s black boxes. The plane’s history indicates that this was not the first time the wing slats were an issue. Two days before the accident, they were repaired.
Before the crash, on the plane’s first pass, a warning sounded from a “heat sensor in the engine inlet” which prompted the pilots to return to the gate and get it inspected. The system was “isolated, ” i.e. unplugged.
The technician discusses the disconnected probe.
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espan…/elpepiesp/20080823elpepinac_5/Tes
Ryanair flight FR-6579 had to reject takeoff from Palma de Mallorca Airport, Spain, on April 22nd.
