/europe
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- The Spanish judge investigating an August plane crash that killed 154 people in Madrid will question three mechanics on suspicion of manslaughter, a Madrid Superior Court spokesman said Thursday.
The victims of the crash were first laid out at a Madria convention center.
The mechanics include two who worked on the Spanair plane on the day of the crash and Spanair's head of maintenance, the spokesman said.
They are under "official investigation," a serious legal designation that could lead to an indictment, the spokesman said.
All three have been called to appear before the judge November 12.
The crash happened August 20 shortly after the MD-82 took off from Madrid's Barajas Airport bound for the Canary Islands. The plane managed to rise only slightly before coming down quickly to the right of the runway, its tail section hitting the ground first, just off the asphalt, said Francisco Javier Soto, a top official of Spain's accident investigative commission.
The out-of-control plane then skidded and bounced at least three times as it careered 1,200 meters (3,840 feet) across uneven terrain and exploded, coming to rest in a gully, Soto said.
Only 18 people survived the crash.
A draft preliminary report prepared by investigators last month showed the plane's wing flaps were not deployed during takeoff, and a cockpit warning system was not working and failed to alert pilots to the problem.
The report did not say that these problems were the reason for the crash.
A source familiar with the investigation revealed the report's findings to CNN.
All About Accidents and Disasters • Air Travel
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