British accident investigators have released preliminary details of the inquiry into the Gerona air crash.

The Britannia Airlines flight from Cardiff was carrying 236 passengers when it veered off the runway at Gerona Airport in northern Spain last September.

The British Air Accident Investigation Branch - part of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions - revealed that the Boeing 757 "bounced" after an initial "very hard" contact with the ground.

The report also confirmed that the nose landing gear collapsed as the jet touched the runway for the second time.

The aircraft left the runway, sliding for over 500m over an earth mound, through a fence and into a muddy field.

The jet came to rest, broken into three sections.

'Black Box' clues

The AAIB said that the passengers and crew were unable to open three of the eight emergency exits - and it took rescue teams over 20 minutes to reach the scene.

An analysis of the "black box" flight data recorders revealed that the instruments had given two automatic warnings that the jet was descending too quickly during its approach to the runway.

The Spanish Air Accidents Investigation Commission is still to publish its own report into the crash

'Pilot error' claims

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

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."

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