It is sad to watch the latest news about a Kalitta Air 747 that went down right after take-off in Bogota. Reports say that all crew survived the horrific accident, but two people on the ground died. It is said that the 747 crashed down on a farm near the airport after having reported an engine fire after take-off.
An engine fire during take-off is one of the most critical failures a plane can encounter. And this happened at an airport where the elevation is around 8000 feet. That makes the margin of error very small, as the higher the elevation is, then the higher speed the aircraft needs in order to take off. An engine fire on a 747 leaves then three engines to mantain safe flying speed. At an altitude of 8000 feet, that is difficult with a fully loaded 747 and mountains surrounding the area.
You can follow the story at CNN or at the aviation enthusiasts forum at Airliners.net.
A while ago, I wrote about the last accident involving a Kalitta Air plane here, where I also mentioned earlier accidents involving this carrier.
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