PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - He stepped on the Rudder and redefined Va
Old 1st Oct 2013, 15:53
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DozyWannabe
 
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Originally Posted by Owain Glyndwr
When AA587 lost its fin it also lost all hydraulics since it was supplied by all three systems. Consequently there was no aerodynamic control of any sort available...
While you're absolutely correct in a technical sense, if I understand it correctly the sequence of events following vertical stab separation progressed so quickly that there wouldn't have been enough time for the hydraulic fluid to drain.

I'm pretty sure that because the aircraft was already in a sideslip, the resultant loss of opposing force from the rudder/stabiliser would have caused what amounted to an unrecoverable flat spin within a fraction of a second, would it not?
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