Computer viruses may have contributed to Spanish 2008 plane crash

Aug 20, 2010, 10:13 GMT

Madrid - Computer viruses may have contributed to the Spanair passenger plane crash which killed 154 people in Madrid two years ago, the daily El Pais reported Friday.

The Spanair central computer which registered technical problems in airplanes was not functioning properly because it had been contaminated by harmful computer programmes, according to an internal airline report quoted by the daily.

The MD-82 plane had three technical problems, a situation which should have prevented it from taking off.

The plane en route to the Canary Islands veered off the runway and burst into flames immediately after take-off on August 20, 2008. Eighteen of the people on board survived the accident.

Experts are still investigating the causes of the crash, which has been attributed mainly to the fact that the plane's wing flaps and slats were not deployed to help it take off.

A mechanic and an airport maintenance chief have been indicted as suspects in the case. The final report by the investigating commission is due in December.