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LoginPlane skids off runway in Madrid
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A passenger plane has skidded off a runway on takeoff at Madrid airport, local media report.
Fatalities are feared and several injuries have been reported.
The plane belonged to Spanair, a major charter carrier, and some 160 people were on board at the time of the incident, reports say.
The cause of the apparent accident remains unknown. TV footage showed smoke billowing from the craft, which was destined for Gran Canaria.
Emergency services are attending the scene.
Weather conditions in Madrid were fine at the time of the incident.
Edited by omgukilledkenny 20 Aug `08, 9:51PM
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Engine theory
The Spanair flight, bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, took off on Wednesday at lunchtime with 172 people on board, among them 10 crew.
Initial reports suggested a fire had broken out in one of the MD82 plane's engines during or shortly after take-off, and the plane ended up in a field.
Spanish Transport Minister Magdalena Alvarez said the plane had earlier begun taxiing to the runway, before turning back because of a technical problem, which had caused an hour's delay in take-off.
Spanish media said the pilots had reported a fault with a temperature gauge, but it was thought to have been fixed before take-off.
Speaking on Thursday, Ms Alvarez said a thorough investigation would be carried out, with a full examination of the flight recorders and available pictures, but that it was very early to draw conclusions about the crash.
A special independent commission has been established to investigate the cause of the crash, Spanish media reported.
The plane which crashed was a 15-year-old McDonnell Douglas MD82 plane previously owned and operated by Korean Air.
Reports said it was serviced regularly and had been pronounced fit to fly.
The MD82 is known as a versatile and reliable aircraft, with some 432 planes currently in service around the world, Spain's EFE news agency said.
source:bbc
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