Madrid - A US judge has ordered aircraft maker Boeing to hand over all available technical information on the MD-82 jetliner that crashed in Madrid on August 20, killing 154 people, Spanish press reports said Tuesday.

A US law firm has filed a complaint against Boeing and its subsidiary McDonnell Douglas in the name of 18 families that lost members in the accident.

The judicial proceedings started Monday in the US state of Illinois, where Boeing has its headquarters.

Ribbeck Law Chartered was initially seeking technical information on the plane in order to decide how to proceed, lawyers representing the law firm were quoted as saying.

The lawyers want to find out which company made the wing flaps that were not deployed on take-off and may have contributed to the accident, according to a preliminary report by an investigating commission that was leaked to the Spanish press.

The flaps help to lift aircraft on take-off.

If the flaps were not made by Boeing or its subsidiaries, the court case could be extended to the company that manufactured them, lawyers said.

Judge Ronald Davis gave Boeing six weeks to provide the requested information.

The MD-82 crashed after take-off at Madrid airport. Eighteen people survived the accident. (dpa)