Approximate Altitude of KLM 4805 at Point of Impact

Trying hard to get his passengers airborne, Captain van Zanten managed to get Flight 4805 off the ground. Because the plane had just taken on 55 tons of fuel, however, he did not have enough time to quickly build speed.

After dragging his tail approximately sixty-five feet along the runway, he managed to reach approximately the altitude depicted in this photograph (of a similar KLM 747).

It was not enough to avoid a collision with Pan Am 1736.