Ian W:
OK - It's dark - the aircraft appears to be lined up on the correct runway and has clearance to take off. It is close to a mile away among all the other lights in the dark. It starts rolling and you watching it after around 5 seconds think it doesn't look right it can't be airborne already but it appears above the runway lights. So its now 8 seconds down the wrong runway accelerating - what would you have the controller say that would be useful to an aircraft that cannot stop in the distance remaining and cannot take off in the distance remaining? And in saying that would the controller be blamed for the outcome afterward? E.g. "Had the controller not said that the aircraft may have got airborne..... "
The NTSB did an on-site view from the cab at a time in the morning that represented the same time before sunrise as it was when the crash happen. That was the informal consensus.