Originally Posted by
bubbers44
Rainboe, We will never know for sure if Sten put the control inputs in that caused the failure or if it was already happening and he was just trying to keep it flying straight. I still don't think the captain would have allowed him to overcontrol to the point of structural damage for wake turbulence. I'm done.
Two points - once again.
1) According to the FDR, the cockpit controls were not displaced in an effort to counter a control surface movement or to counter a vertical or lateral acceleration. The A-300 cockpit controllers (column, wheel, pedals) are
not reversable controls. If the cockpit controllers were moved (and according to the FDR all three were moved - rather substantially and rather briskly), someone in the cockpit with access to the respective control moved it.
2) The entire episode, from the first controller movement to the end of the data feed was just under 9 seconds in duration. To say that the Captain, or anyone else for that matter, should have been able to observe what was happening, evaluate the cause, determine what was being responded to and how, recognize the adequacy or inadequacy of what was being done, decide on a course of action, and initiate that course of action - and do all that cold, with zero warning, and do it all successfully - is a mighty tall order for a mere human to grasp. I might point out that it probably took you 7 or 8 seconds to read that last sentence.