Madrid  - Spanish police intend to question technicians who failed to inform them that a reverse thruster of the plane involved in the Madrid crash was faulty and had been blocked, the radio station Cadena Ser said Friday, quoting police sources.

The MD-82 belonging to the airline Spanair crashed on August 20, just after take-off for the Canary Islands, killing 154 and injuring 18 people.

Three days earlier, technicians found a fault in the plane's right-hand reverse thruster and locked it. The reverse system helps planes to brake prior to landing.

Safety regulations allow the procedure, but the technicians failed to inform police about it during questioning after the accident.

Police discovered it when examining the plane's maintenance documents, according to Cadena Ser.

The reason for the silence of the technicians was not known. It was not clear whether the blockage of the thruster may have contributed to the accident. (dpa)