If you pull up a sat image of the airport it appears the thresholds for
22 and 26 are along the same line of sight from the tower. It wouldn't
have been obvious the airplane was at the wrong runway from the tower..

Most of us who are instrument rated use the runway centerline as a
final verification the DG is aligned, and I'd sure declare an equiment
about if the damned thing was saying something like 260 when it should
say 220.

There will have to be some really odd circumstances if this isn't
called pilot error. In fact, I'd appreciate someone offering a
reasonable theory that does not implicate the pilots.

And isn't it true that both would have had to operate from that airport
before they could carry passengers?

Awful error, and and even more awful punishment for having made it.
Ron Lee wrote:

As for your question about my judgment, thankfully, so far, it's been
good, and that's why I'm still alive. If I had to depend on "luck" to
keep me safe in an airplane, I wouldn't fly. However, accidents such as
this one demonstrate why careful consideration and good judgment are so
important in aviation.

Sorry, I'm standing by my thought that you can't criticize their
mistakes until you've been in that situation. Blame has no place in
something like this....but I'm coming at this as someone who analyzes
mistakes for a living.

Can't agree with you Emily. If the pilots took off on too short a
runway they screwed up royally and they alone are to blame.

Ron Lee