By the time the KLM pilots saw the Pan Am aircraft, they had already exceeded their V1 speed and were moving too fast to stop. In desperation, the pilots prematurely rotated the aircraft nose upward and attempted to clear the Pan Am by lifting off, causing a tailstrike. The KLM 747 was within of the Pan Am and moving at approximately when it left the ground. Its nose landing gear cleared the Pan Am, but its left-side engines, lower fuselage, and main landing gear struck the upper right side of the Pan Am's fuselage, ripping apart the center of the Pan Am jet almost directly above the wing. The right-side engines crashed through the Pan Am's upper deck immediately behind the cockpit, instantly killing all of the passengers seated there.
by the time the klm pilots saw the pan am aircraft they had already exceeded their v1 speed and were moving too fast to stop in desperation the pilots prematurely rotated the aircraft nose upward and attempted to clear the pan am by lifting off causing a tailstrike the klm 747 was within of the pan am and moving at approximately when it left the ground its nose landing gear cleared the pan am but its left-side engines lower fuselage and main landing gear struck the upper right side of the pan am's fuselage ripping apart the center of the pan am jet almost directly above the wing the right-side engines crashed through the pan am's upper deck immediately behind the cockpit instantly killing all of the passengers seated there