John
I don't disagree, however, in reality structures have limit load. To say that the Rudder should be less robust than the VS is intuitive, whether for practical or aerodynamic reasons. I could have worded it differently. The Rudder can create unsustainable loading without itself failing simply because of it's mechanical advantage. So my approach to the result may be a bit cart before Horse. There is a conclusion that can be reached in this accident that does not reflect well on the A/C's control systems. Would you agree that the VS would likely not have separated if the Pilot had resisted his urge to manouver? Was over control the result of a lack of "feel"? The deflection of the Rudder on the annunciator was dramatic, no recovery would need that much Rudder. My sense of this failure is that there was some zone, some "No Man's Land", where the Pilot was "out of the loop" and the A/C didn't guard itself from unnecessary loads, limits. Again, the structure was found to be compromised, but not to and beyond structural failure.
Airfoil