Could some of Wsherif1's information be valid, whether from a pilot, or maintenance perspective, actual or assumed by the audience?
Did somebody else in this "thread" state that the A-310/300 rudder control input becomes very sensitive after a certain rudder angle or pedal pressure? I suppose that carbon-fiber aircraft structure always behaves as designed during preliminary engineering tests...no matter what the pressure/temp ranges. On the FAR 25 plane which "we" fly (main series max takeoff weight 108,000 lbs.) , we have no limitations, warnings or prohibitions concerning rudder pedal pressure and when the pedals can or can not be pushed, trimmed or anything about the speed of rudder input. The rudder restrictor is relied upon. And except for a tiny bit of rudder trim now and then, using the grey knob, nobody here uses the rudder pedals except a little bit during landing in a strong crosswind and during engine failure training in the simulators.
It still seems very strange to me that any pilot would use rudder pedals in wake turbulence, when our first reaction is to move the yoke, in order for ailerons to correct for any sudden, unwanted roll. At AA, did only one pilot state that he had seen the FO use them aggresively, and did he actually see the guys legs moving? Could the NTSB's "impartial" investigation have become biased by such a statement? We once had a yaw damper go out of control and smoothly yaw several times a jet transport back and forth, as if we had pushed on the pedals to near both left and right limits. It was departing Knoxville (TYS) many years ago. After turning the yaw damper switch off and pulling the rudder power knob to manual, the problem stopped as we quickly did a climb/descent checklist and turned back soon onto base leg . That problem was never solved.
What about with a much more complex system on a heavy jet? An Air South (?) B-737 crew suffered an uncommanded rudder "hardover" and was probably the only crew to have survived such an incident. This was very similar to the United 737 and USAir 737 tragedies. Do larger, more complex aircraft never misbehave? How about documentation? It is 'alleged' by a local pilot that a very large cargo airline "misplaced" or "altered" numerous aircraft logbook pages concerning main gear cracks (which were documented BEFORE both accidents) after at least two heavy jets suffered collapsed main landing gears. Major accidents were involved, and company aircraft insurance, for all fleets, was allegedly in jeopardy
. Apparently the insurance policies work out much better when lack of (or altered/substituted?) documentation on known aircraft problems can help "prove" (or at least direct blame) that it was the Captains' fault(s)? I doubt that a Maintenance VP or line maintenance supervisors always want an early retirement
.