Spanish air accident investigators have revealed that a holiday jet from carrying 236 passengers crashed at Gerona Airport after a wheel collapsed on landing.

Spanish sources have suggested that pilot error may have caused the jet to come in too steeply and too fast in a violent storm.

As a result the plane - which took off from Cardiff International Airport - touched down "very heavily" and the nose undercarriage gave way.

Director of Gerona Airport Patricio Ivorra said: "There are indications of human error, but there are still many things to be determined.

"What is clear is that the plane did not land at the correct angle. Also it will be interesting to find out why the undercarriage collapsed."

The interim report also criticised the delay before rescue workers found the Boeing jet after it crashed on landing and broke into three pieces at the airport in Spain last September.

But an action group set up by the passengers has criticised the report claiming it is misleading and fails to give a proper explanation about the cause of the crash.

Fifty people were taken to hospital and one passenger - Charles Bryant, 84, from Sully near Cardiff - died a few days later after a heart attack.

He suffered a ruptured spleen and broken ribs in the crash.

Compensation

More than 140 of the Welsh passengers are claiming compensation for injuries and stress.

But Mike Pritchard of the Gerona Passengers Group said he was not impressed with the preliminary report.

"I think it raises more questions than we had in the beginning," he said.

"I would like a more in-depth investigation into why we were there in the first place.

'Warned'

"At the time of the accident the Spanish authorities said they warned the pilot to go to Barcelona Airport because the weather conditions were so bad there (Gerona)."

Mr Pritchard also questioned the length of time the report said it took the emergency services to arrive at the crash scene.

"They say 20 minutes. I think it was longer - they didn't know we'd crashed."

Mr Pritchard said the airport authorities only realised the plane was on the ground after confirmation from air traffic control at Barcelona Airport.

"We weren't adequately covered by their rescue services," he said.