Originally Posted by
papershuffler
As mentioned at #109, I was studying the horizontal stabilisers ("h/s") earlier and thought there was a section missing on the port side.
Bearing in mind the t-tail design which distorts perspective, it's not so much the length, rather than the shape.
BBC News - Taiwan TransAsia plane crashes into river
On the third clip (taken by the car in the right lane) at 18-20s, have a look at the port side. I confirmed with a bit of modelling tonight, that the end of the stabiliser should graduate away bearing in mind perspective and the angles the plane travels through. Instead, it's 'blunter' than it should be; the tapered end part appears to be missing.
So, if part of the h/s had gone, some down force would be lost, the nose would go down, and the AOA of that wing would lower, possibly creating a spin. Does this fit the scenario?
It does look like the port side stabilizer and elevator are misshapen but it may just be some kind of an optical illusion.
Even if part of the stabilizer were missing I don't believe there is enough missing to account for what we see happen to the aircraft. To me it just looks like a stall with a wing drop.
Lowering the nose would reduce the AOA on both wings and would prevent a stall. Are you are suggesting that a smaller port side stab would reduce the AOA on only the starboard wing and cause a spin to the left? That just doesn't make any sense to me at all.
