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Old 23rd Mar 2009, 17:40
  #139 (permalink)  
Gatchaman
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
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Is the roll over not caused by the left wing stalling.
The tip then impacting the side of the runway, quickly followed by the engine breaking off with the wing.

It's not so much the tip which causes the problem. The MD11 gear is designed to break off under horizontal impact but not vertical. If the vertical stress is high enough, it breaks the rear wing spar. The opposing forces (good wing still lifting, engine on bad wing already on runway) cause the wing to fold at the main-gear point, between engine and fuselage. Once that happens there's nothing to stop the aircraft rolling inverted.

Once on its back it stays there because the other wing hasn't been weakened by gear impact stress. Very similar inversion dynamics in the Mandarin and previous FedEx accidents.

The issue is how to avoid banging the thing on the deck in the first place.
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