14 DAY TRIAL // New information unearthed in the investigation of the 2008 Spanair Flight JK 5022 crash, suggests that the tragedy could have been prevented if a critical computer wouldn't have been infected with a trojan.
El Pais reports (in Spanish) that a computer system tasked with monitoring technical problems and issuing alerts, which can lead to planes being grounded was inoperable due to a malware infection.
It seems that the MD-82 plane that crashed had two problems the day before the tragedy, but technicians were unable to record them on the infected computer.
According to protocol, mechanics are required to immediately record any technical problems that are detected to a plane's systems.
An internal Spanair memo from the day of the crash, when a third technical issue was discovered, confirms the infection.
Even if these problems did not cuase the crash, had they been properly recorded, the system would have issued an alert to ground the flight.
The judge investigating the tragedy has ordered the airline company to provide all of the computer's logs from the days before and after the crash.
Spanair Flight JK 5022 crashed on 20 August 2008 immediately after taking off from Barajas Airport in Madrid, claiming the lives of 154 people and leaving behind only 18 survivors.
A preliminary report from the Civil Aviation Accidents and Incidents Investigation Commission (CIAIAC) reveals that the plane's flaps were not extended as it's normal during takeoff and that no alarm signaled the unusual configuration.
"The final report from crash investigators is not due to be presented until December, and it's very possible that there will be found to be other contributing factors to what was a horrific accident beyond the malware infection by Trojan horses.
"Next time someone tries to convince you that the people who write malware aren't really doing anyone any serious harm - remember this case," Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, said.