well, we really need to wait a second.
I flew the DC930 for 10 years. It is a great plane...our fleet was checked for the ''jackscrew'' thing and NONE, NONE of our planes had any problems...DC930 and MD80...NONE...
We were following the DOUGLAS manual and did everything it said.
One or two times I had problems with the trim. There is a backup trim (alt/aux) that remained in service just fine and there was a thermal cutout on the main trim motor, and when allowed to cool returned to service. But once we were on the ground, and wrote it up, it was taken into MX and checked out.
AS to the pilots...well I sure don't want to blame them on this situation. But I will say this...a sure thing is the way to go when ever there is a control problem...esp when approaches to a number of airport runways could be made while over the ocean, eliminating the hazard to innocents on the ground.
There has been a terrible philsophy promoted out there of always calling someone on the ground for advice. I've seen some pretty STUPID advice coming up from the ground.
One piece of advice was sent to a brand new 737-400 that couldn't get one of its main landing gears down. The brilliant advice was to take the crash axe, go back in the cabin, CHOP through the floor, cut the hydraulic line (under pressure) and this was SURE to get the gear down.
The pilots, smarter than average said: NUTS (paraphrasing...and offering tribute to the 82nd at Bastogne) They landed with the offending gear up. Upon investigation the wheel chocks were found in the wheel well making the gear STUCK. Mechanics left the wheel chocks in the gear well during pushback.
Call for advice any time...only take stupid advice once safely on the ground.
The screw is one of the simple machines of man...but everything needs maintenance.
in true retrospect, the pilots should have landed at any of the coastal airports along the way. Shuddering or any difficulty controling the plane is an immediate emergency, priority number one get everyone out of the way I'm coming in any runway any taxiway get the hell out of the way.
Flying the DC9 series by hand is a joy for an experienced pilot...anything that is unpleaseant in ''feel'' should be warning enough for an otherwise great flying plane.