Air Bus 300 crash in NY now blamed on co-pilot's improper use

"Andrew Rowley" wrote in message
...
(PS2727) wrote:

I suppose my problem is that, as a pilot, the only thing I see when I
look up
info on maneuvering speed is something along the lines of " the maximum
speed
at which full control travel will not cause damage to the structure". I
have
never seen any fine print or exceptions, nor do I see that it is limited
to any
particular axis.

The rudder was reversed stop-to-stop five times before the ultimate
load factor was exceeded. Even then the fin didn't break, but the load
continued to increase and it broke at far higher than the given ultimate.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon...587trans.shtml

"O'CALLAGHAN: And then in the final movement to the right, going past the
limit load, going past the ultimate load, and you're getting up into a very
high load level, and we see this load calculation continuing to increase.
NARRATOR: It was only at this point, well above the ultimate load, that the
tail's attachment lugs began to rip apart. First the two at the front, then
the middle ones, and finally the back two. The tailfin had failed only after
it was subjected to forces far higher than those it was certified to
withstand. "

These limits are not so straightforward as many people think. It is
interesting to find out more about what they actually mean. For
example, the load factor for a wing may be significantly reduced by
aileron usage. So if it is rated at 3.8g, that assumes ailerons
neutral. If you are rolling at the same time, you might break
something.

This is what happened to that Beech thing that was being used
for the mock dogfight thing wasn't it?