Twelve seconds had passed since the check airman called “V1” and then “rotate” as the airplane reached the pre-planned airspeeds. Thus, the check airman was surprised when the captain announced that he was rejecting the takeoff. The airplane, a Boeing MD-83, was accelerating through about 160 kt and was using up the remaining runway at more than 200 ft a second. “No, not above vee-one,” the check airman said. However, although he was technically the pilot-in-command (PIC), the check airman made no further protest and backed up the captain in bringing the airplane to a stop.
The MD-83 came to a stop after overrunning the runway and striking several obstacles. Damage was substantial, but only one of the 116 people aboard was hurt: a passenger who sustained minor injuries during the evacuation. The airplane’s cockpit voice recording ended with the captain explaining to his colleague that the airplane just would not fly. “I had it [the control column] …
