At 00:03 local time MK Airlines flight 1602 departed Windsor Locks-Bradley International Airport for a flight to Zaragoza, Spain with a cargo of lawn tractors. An intermediate stop was made at Halifax to pick up 53,000 kilograms of lobster and fish. Weather was fine as the was cleared to taxi to runway 24 (8800 ft / 2682 m long) for departure. At 03:47 The crew were requested to taxi use taxiway delta and hold short of the runway. After three minutes they were cleared to backtrack on runway 24. Take-off clearance was then given at 03:52 and the crew conducted rolling take-off from near the end of Runway 24. The Boeing 747 accelerated down the runway, but was unable to pick up enough speed. The tail contacted the runway and at a speed of about 130 kts, 30 kts below take-off speed, the aircraft overran the runway. The tail smashed against a berm, causing it to separate from the main fuselage. The airplane skidded into a wooded area and began to break up. The wings separated and a fire started, which consumed the fuselage.

To read the preliminary report released from the NTSB  click here