On August 20, 2008, a routine domestic commercial flight was transformed into tragedy and shocked Spain and the world of aviation. Spanair Flight 5022, a routine scheduled flight from Barcelona El Prat Airport to Gran Canaria Airport with an in-flight stopover on the way at Madrid–Barajas Airport, fatally crashed minutes after takeoff from Madrid Airport runway 36L. The McDonnell Douglas MD-82, EC-HFP, crashed at approximately 14:24 CEST (12:24 UTC). 172 passengers and crew are aboard the plane. 154 individuals lost their lives in the crash and 18 were rescued. The plane's crash led to one of Spain's deadliest air disasters, even more sorrowful than the crash of Avianca Flight 011 in 1983. The cause and found that there was a chain of events that contributed to the cause of the crash. The reason for the accident was the malfunctioning of the airplane takeoff configuration warning system which would have alerted the flight crew of an inappropriate slats and flaps configuration. The crew did not configure the airplane for takeoff, and it resulted in aircraft loss of control and lift-off crash. Spanair Flight 5022 crash was historic. Spanair's inaugural fatal crash in its 25-year history, it also played a major role in the demise of the company financially. The crash also sealed safety concerns and operation inefficiencies that were among the reasons the airline had a bad reputation. Spanair then faced additional public outcry and operational problems after the accident, and it suspended operations on 27 January 2012. Beyond victim families, the accident also created additional controversy regarding aviation safety procedure, pilot training, and procedure compliance established. Spanair Flight 5022 sharply reminds us of the severity of the intricate system of aviation safety measures and how far-reaching complacency's outcomes may be. The aviation world continues to strive to learn from such crashes in an attempt to further enhance levels of safety towards future prevention.