Airplanes are heavier on takeoff than at any other time, and the margin
between their climb speeds and the stall is at its smallest. Ask anyone who
has done a V1 cut in training or on a checkride (jets only). I'm willing to
venture that the pilots of the accident plane did all of the appropriate
calculations for the longer runway. Seems to me that if a plane is cleared
for takeoff on a long runway but lines up on a shorter runway, there is a
lot of blame to be shared between the cockpit and the tower.

Bob Gardner

wrote in message
ups.com...
I remember a recent discussion with a pilot mate where I was mentioning
how illogical a crash-shortly-after-takeoff is, given that beyond V1
takeoff can safely be continued even with just one good engine. I'd
even told him that if I saw an aircraft airborne following takeoff, I'd
presume it safe.

Days after that tete-a-tete, a Fokker went down in Pakistan shortly
after taking off. And today the Bombardier at Kentucky.

Doesn't add up, does it? After all, if the engines are good and there's
no bomb going off, it should be pretty hard to crash an aircraft!

Ramapriya