If you do not use enough crosswind controls in high crosswind the plane goes straight until rotation starts. No upwind gear unloading to the point that the airplane weathervanes into the wind. It's ugly, but it shouldn't lead to runway excursions.
There has been no comment by the NTSB that rotation was attempted.
You state if they had continued the takeoff it probably would have been a non-event. In general that's true, but without knowing what occurred in this incident it's way to premature to state that this flight probably would have been a non-event if it had gotten airborne.
Coworker talked about having the rudder jam on him in a 737 doing the flight control check. That would not have been a non-event if they had gotten airborne.
Last edited by misd-agin; 30th Dec 2008 at 16:15.
Reason: rephrasing, grammar