Any number of airports the world over have significant obstacles alongside the runways, from terminal buildings to housing and roads, rivers etc..08 at LGW springs to mind as those terminal buildings and parked aircraft seem pretty damn close. Funchal perhaps?
Given the amount of fuel the aircraft would have had on board, and that it got airborne, then the likelyhood of the crash being survivable at all is very remote.
I am amazed that anyone survived; and we should be grateful for the small mercy that the only casualties were on board. At a lot of airports it could have been a very different story.
Last edited by sussex2; 22nd Aug 2008 at 14:35.