Spanair Flight 5022

Location: Madrid, Spain
Date: August 20, 2008
Aircraft: MD-82

On August 20, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. local time, Spanair Flight 5022 took off from Madrid’s Barajas Airport en route to Las Palmas on Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands. It has been reported that the MD-82 aircraft had engine problems, a possible fire in the left engine, lost control and then skidded off of the runway. The resulting crash killed 154 of the 172 passengers and crew on board. Reports indicate that the aircraft’s fuselage broke into two pieces post-crash.

Madrid’s Barajas Airport is the tenth busiest airport in the world, and the fourth busiest in Europe. Spanair, known as a “budget airline”, is wholly owned by SAS Group (Scandinavian Airlines), is a member of the Star Alliance and is one of Spain’s three private airlines. 

The MD-80 accident aircraft, manufactured in 1993, contained Pratt & Whitney JT8D engines. Motley Rice aviation attorney Mary Schiavo, extensively investigated JT8D engines during her tenure as Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The parts of the JT8D engine, through no fault of Pratt & Whitney, are the most commonly and extensively counterfeited in the aviation industry. These bogus, counterfeited replacement parts for the JT8D engine have been known to lead to uncontained engine failures, leading to engine fires.

The Motley Rice aviation team is reviewing this crash and any legal responsibility that Spanair, Boeing and Pratt & Whitney may have to the families of the victims of this tragic event. Mary Schiavo and the Motley Rice aviation team have experience in litigating cases involving Boeing’s MD-80 aircraft as well as engines manufactured by Pratt & Whitney. 

Contact Us

If you or someone you know is interested in seeking legal recourse due to wrongful death or personal injury as a result of this crash, please contact Motley Rice aviation attorney and former Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Mary Schiavo by email or call +1 800.868.6456.