Flaymy: I took a shortcut. BEA didn't say (IIRC) that the plane veered left of the runway because it was
unable to maintain the centerline because of the thrust loss on the left side.
(by the way, I'm not aware of certification criteria, but know that the 2 left hand engine were affected -various degrees- by thrust loss).
The report said that the thrust loss made the aircraft veer to the left. That is normal. The fact that it was not fully counteracted by the crew (hence the a-bit-left-of-runway end of ground course) is attributed to the difficulty for the PF (CPT) to assess precisely the position of the aircraft relatively to the centerline with the nose high. Before anyone cries in outrage that any pilot
should be able to do that, one has to read the difference in lateral acceleration mesured (or was it estimated?) between the aircraft CoG and the crew's position.
To make a long story short: Please take the time to read the report.
Then we can discuss.
For the record, once again I do agree (and can't see how one can disagree) that:
- forgetting the spacer was a mistake (and a failure to follow procedures)
- cutting of #2 engine above V1 and below 400' AGL was a mistake (and a failure to follow procedures)
Now, the question is: if these mistakes were not made, would the outcome have been different? Until proven wrong, I refer to the BEA's report whose answer is: No.
Regards.