The NTSB reports no bird or foreign object damage to either engine, and no obvious sign of catastrophic engine failure in either engine. The vertical stabilizer was found one half mile east of the fuselage. The rudder was also found today in Jamaica Bay, and the flight data recorder recovered as well and flown to Washington for analysis. Both engines separated from the aircraft before impact.
From the Cockpit Voice Recorder as reported by the NTSB:
107 seconds after takeoff roll: airframe rattle sound.
114 seconds: pilot remark of 'wake encounter'. (Apparently in reference to a Japan Airlines 747 8 miles ahead.)
121 seconds: airframe rattle sound.
125 seconds: call for "maximum power"
127 seconds: a remark about 'losing control'
144 seconds: end of recording.
Speculation is now turning to thinking that the vertical stabilizer separated first from the fuselage. If indeed such separation was the proximate cause of the accident, what caused this to happen is unknown.
In my post above on the radar trace (assuming the radar trace values are accurate), both the rate of climb and the acceleration in speed seems to be more consistent with normally functioning engines than what might be expected if an engine had experienced a major failure. However, a company pilot on the ground at JFK is reported as supposedly saying he saw smoke from one of the engines as the airplane took off.
In any event, the flight data recorder should provide some answers very soon. As Air Force One has these engines, I am certain that both the Air Force and the Secret Service want answers quickly.
[ 14 November 2001: Message edited by: SaturnV ]