Jacko - I'm pretty sure that the flight despatcher's figure allowed for the known thrust reverser unserviceability and it doesn't have a material bearing on the accident.
The "investigators' recalculation" doesn't make clear whether that was a RTOW or ATOW estimate; it was way short of the ATOW figure known to the crew and that figure was known by them to be in excess of the max permitted certificated structural TOW.
Nowhere in the report do I read a clear and accurate assessment of RTOW based upon the known 8kt tailwind, the actual OAT and QNH at the time. WHY NOT?? Informed comment in this thread puts the figure at around 177T...
Elsewhere, John Farley comments upon Vzrc2 both with the landing gear up and with the landing gear down. Also, we learn that any decrease in thrust at low speed will lead to a rapid loss of speed and an increase in Vzrc. So why would anyone ever consider shutting down any engine still producing thrust with the landing gear still down??
[ 04 September 2001: Message edited by: BEagle ]