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Survivor tells of moments before crash

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From Times Wire Reports

The airliner that crashed last week in Madrid was barely airborne when its right wing dipped sharply and the plane started wobbling, one of the few survivors said.

Ligia Palomino Riveros, 42, who suffered a broken leg and a broken rib, said that after a seemingly minor malfunction forced the pilot to abandon a takeoff attempt, she thought the airline, Spanair, was going to switch planes.

The mechanic who dealt with the breakdown, a faulty air temperature gauge near the cockpit, and certified the plane as ready to fly has been questioned by police and crash investigators, Spanair said.

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Late Saturday a 31-year-old woman who was badly burned died, a hospital said, raising the crash toll to 154.

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