Answer: The slats on the leading edge of the wing allow the airplane to take off and land at lower speeds. When extended they alter the airflow so the wing can produce more lift at lower speed.

Photos, videos and flight tracking data reveal what happened before the flight crashed less than a minute after taking off.

These leading edge slats provide the lift necessary at low speeds, with the gap between the wing and the slats directing air from the underside of the wing to the top.

CubCrafters has essentially taken the idea and applied it to the leading edge of the wings on one of its NX Cubs. Multiple electric ducted fans are integrated into the leading-edge slats (flap ...

The leading-edge slats will snap out at about 64 km/h (40 mph) and when the airplane slows to a forward speed of about 40 km/h (25 mph), the airplane will sink at about a parachute descent rate ...

SOCATA produced several variants of the Rallye to address varying requirements: Rallye 100: A basic model with a 100 hp ...

One of three Ryan YO-51 Dragonfly prototypes demonstrates its leading-edge slats and massive, full-span Fowler flaps during a spirited takeoff. [Photo: USAAF] In the late 1930s, the U.S. Army Air ...

Triple-slotted trailing edge flaps worked in conjunction with inboard leading-edge Krueger flaps and outboard leading-edge slats to achieve more lift, allowing the 727s to operate where the bigger ...

Leading-edge slats and trailing-edge flaps are two of the wing's sophisticated high-lift devices, which guarantee that the aircraft can obtain the lift it needs during takeoff and landing at lower ...

Click to open image viewer. CC0 Usage Conditions ApplyClick for more information. Westland Lysander IIIa army cooperation/liaison high wing aircraft; bent seagull wing shape with trailing edges ...

ELAS integrates wing leading edge slats with electric ducted fan. Credit: CubCrafters Backcountry aircraft manufacturer CubCrafters is flight testing a lift augmentation device that combines slats ...

"The example forms reviewed by the Subcommittee, some dating as far back as 2002, appeared to relate to a variety of small and large aircraft parts, including "787 leading edge slats", "landing ...