Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain  - The US judiciary is participating in the investigation on the August 20 air crash which killed 154 people in the Spanish capital Madrid, the US firm Ribbeck Law Chartered said Tuesday.

A judge in Chicago, where the plane maker Boeing has its headquarters, has set the date for the first hearing for the coming Monday, said Manuel von Ribbeck, a representative of the law firm.

Von Ribbeck spoke in Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, where many of the victims were from.

The 18 families represented by Ribbeck Law are seeking damages from Boeing, the parent company of McDonnell Douglas which made the MD-82 that crashed after take-off.

Eighteen people survived the accident. (dpa)