But he still rushed the entire project - notice how it was taxiing. One should never attempt to takeoff any plane from a "runway" like that, much less a 50 year old one. Could you imagine that going at full speed?
Their bulldozer did not have proper flattening equipment, just the plow. They had less than half the runway that was required in the operating manual. The APU broke loose from the bouncing and caught fire, but it wasn't supposed to be on after engine start-up in the first place.
You can hear Darryl say "someone left the APU on..." but as PIC it's his responsibility to ensure that it was off, and his responsibility to have the balls to say "no-go" in the first place and take more time to make sure everything is right.
There are just a string of things that are absolutely wrong with this. In the second or third part, he's talking with a weather briefer on the radio, who advises against flying due to weather - but he goes anyway. It may all seem like minor cock-ups, but it all adds up with disastrous consequences. This is how 99% of air accidents happen.
I get the impression that he was just too impatient, too complacent, too much of a fighter-jock to take on a serious project such as this. It was better left to more competent leadership.
That's my rant...
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