Fireball jet crew 'refused to allow worried passenger off' after first failed take-off

Crew aboard the Madrid holiday plane that crashed and killed 153 people refused to let a passenger off despite technical problems and a failed take-off, the mans family said today.

Two hours before the Spanair flight JK5022 crashed during its second attempt to leave the runway yesterday, the victim texted his wife, saying: My love, theres a problem with the plane.

She phoned him back and told him to get off the flight, but he said: They wont let me off.

The chilling accusation came to light after it emerged the plane, which ripped apart and exploded on the runway Barajas airport, had a faulty air valve.

Victims families reacted with anger today at the news that the plane had experienced overheating in an air intake valve before the first attempt to get airborne.

Technicians de-energised the device - that is, turned it off - and the plane was allowed to attempt its ill-fated second take-off which resulted in the fuselage being torn off.

Rescuers described the flaming wreckage, which left only 19 survivors, as a scene from Hell'.

Today it was claimed that at least one worried passenger wanted to leave the plane following the first failed take-off but was forced to remain aboard.

The story emerged at the Madrid hotel taken over by the airline to host relatives of the victims.

Spanish media said that an unidentified woman at the hotel told reporters that her husband had texted her at 12.30 reporting a fault with the aircraft.

She was alarmed when he told her that cabin crew had refused to let him off.

The womans son, who was with her at the hotel, said that the cabin crew had told the man to get back in his seat.

The body of the flight captain Antonio Luna, from Majorca, has been identified. He broke both arms in the disaster, indicating he may have attempted to brake as the flight crashed at 2.45pm yesterday.

Link to same story with video..
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4582094.ece