shytorque
to give a practical example:
You're in a A109C at max weight on a summer days at a private site, on take off and landing you cannot cause danger to persons or property on the surface.
Therefore it's ok to damage the aircraft with a heavy reject on take-off provided you don't cause danger to property or persons - but it's not ok to crash into a car, lawnmower, fence, building, etc
At a government or licensed aerodrome this does not apply ...
Anyway, the point I was making, whether or not you agree with this interpretation of rule 5, is that a rejected take off in fog at night, without any visual reference is likely to not end well. However, the manoeuvre should be able to be carried out safety from a handling point of view provided an engine does not fail.
This is not an acceptable risk from my point of view, so why did not crew make this decision. Was it lack of experience? Was it pressure or perceived pressure from pax?
The experience of the crew, in particular the capt is an important factor.