deSitter, "How would the airplane behave if its fin came off in the zoom? Wouldn't it start Dutch rolling?"
To quote a great philosopher, or at least a prior posting here:
Ohhh, nooooo!
Not again!!
More seriously, can you imagine the sequence of messages if the tail is lost? What electrical lines are broken? What hydraulic lines are broken? How does the airplane not know it's lost it's tail? I should be able to make a modest maintenance note to that effect.
I also note that 16 degrees is a tad more than I envisioned when I tried to place the plane meeting ocean with some forward motion and great downwards motion. When the flat surface of the elevators slams into the water the tail is pushed up sharply. It breaks off at the weakest point aft of the cabin. That tilts the assembly up. But the VS nose is still planted on unbent aircraft. The leading edge and trailing edge literally pry the VS loose from the plane as it hits the water. It probably hit the water slightly to the side and aft of the elevator. When its joints broke it must have rather sprung up into the air quite dramatically.
{^_^}