Good points. In any case, I think the failure cascade must have been a bit more complicated than what is immediately apparent.

Yes, there are flashes visible in the video, however I wouldn't be sure to say what exactly that was and from which engine, if from an engine.

By the way, the NTSB seems to be just as flummoxed by this aspect, they brought a vehicle performance expert into the investigation.

Yes, maybe.

... from the fire on where #1 was. Possible, maybe, at high angle of attack, I don't know.
D) a functioning engine being shut down, highly speculative.
E) something else I didn't see yet.

Exactly. Something kept the remaining engines from properly functioning.
That could have been:
A) Debris from the loss of the first engine impacting #3, not likely, but possible.
B) Debris impacting engine #2, even less likely, but also possible.
C) engine #2 ingesting combusted air...

🧐 Believe it or not, these aircraft are designed to be able to climb on two engines only. The bank angle was a consequence of collisions -> a consequence, not a cause.

"Deine Mudda halluziniert."

Best summary of Chicago accident:
www.faa.gov/lessons_lear...

A whole set of new questions popping up.
Also, probably a lot of people thinking "Chicago"

My thoughts are obviously with the victims, but they are also with the NTSB investigators who, tomorrow, will dig through half a mile of toxic debris to find the black boxes, all without being paid. Godspeed.

Sorry, should read "even on two engines", as it's a three engine aircraft, not twin.
I'm always thinking "twin" these days, there are so few three-holers.

Ah, sorry, I was thinking B777, hence, "one engine operating".
As it was an MD-11, it's "two engines operating ".
The thrust loss on one engine is always covered in terms of aircraft performance on large (=multi engine) aircraft.

Oh dear. At what point in time and space did the engine detach?

For a length of ~8 seconds , there is no discernible climb of the aircraft. That means there's not enough thrust-to-weight or/and too little lift-over-drag.
Note that thrust, even on one engine, should be sufficient to climb, hence, the thrust loss on one engine alone is NOT enough to explain this.

At this point, past VR, on one engine, the aircraft could theoretically fly and climb out, if the wing is still intact, and, crucially, if wing leading edge devices are (were) functional.