Rudder break-out forces and Pedal travel
Back in the aftermath of the JFK AA accident, it was interesting to read in Aviation Week the article comparing the various manufacturer's philosophies on cockpit design & rudder force limitation.
I don't have a link, but as I recall, the Airbus design included both a relatively small breakout force to get the pedal to move, coupled with an surprisingly small displacement(travel) and low (additional) pedal force required to reach full input.
Imagine a loss of autopilot in severe turbulence/IMC/at altitude coupled with a loss of rudder load-limiting.......with a cockpit rudder control that requires very little pedal force and travel to apply maximum inputs. The means of load limiting vs. airspeed at the control surface varied between manufacturers, I don't recall the Airbus system.
If this were the case, the tail departing the airplane may be the cause of all the other error messages. The engines would depart shortly after.......