Stall Recovery
The relevance to AF447 is toward the end:
1979 was a bad year for the DC-10, and it was almost worse.
May 25, KORD: Engine came off AA DC10-10; all fatal.
June-July: Entire DC10 fleet grounded due to overraction to pylon mount cracks.
Aug, XMEX: WAL, Western Airlines DC10-10 landed on closed runway and collided with truck: 50 fatal.
Nov, Antarctica ANZ DC10-30 KSSU config hits Mt. Erebus; ~260 fatal; Recovered data exonerated the plane.
What didn't hit the mass media was this incident:
Aug, climb out from Frankfurt; AeroMexico DC10-30 at gross cleared to 31K feet. A/P in 1500 fpm climb mode until 27K feet, where the engines couldn't maintain 1500 fpm, so pitch increased into a full stall. In spite of stick shaker, Capt failed to recognize the extreme vibration as the overhead panels were coming down in the cabin, etc. Capt declared Mayday, and then decided to pull power on #3 engine, believing that to be the cause.
Pulling power to #3 put the plane in a spiral, which the Capt recognized, and recovered at 10K feet. He canceled Mayday and continued on to KMIA, where they discovered damage to ailerons, and the elevator counterweight horns were missing.
Departure may have been Madrid, but either way, it might have ended in a deep sea search.
So, the question: will pulling power to one engine of a big twin in deep stall help?
GB