Whilst I am fairly convinced by the load-shift explanation, I have in the back of my mind a DC8F crash caused by a rock/stone (?) jammed between the elevator/Stab during taxy-out control checks due "FOD" by the engines. On departure they could pull back, but not push forward. Judicious application of fwd trim might have saved the day, but time/altitude were in short supply.
Many possibilities here, even if I think it WILL be load-shift.
Edited to say, or was it a pax DC8 on a trooping contract ?
Last edited by captplaystation; 1st May 2013 at 19:21.