The roles of pilot control inputs and wake turbulence in the crash of American Airlines flight 587

What is it about?

This paper describes the effects, and relative importance of, the pilot's control inputs and external wake turbulence on the motion of American Airlines flight 587. The paper shows that the pilot inputs, and not wake turbulence, created the large loads on the vertical stabilizer that caused it to fail, resulting in the loss of the airplane and all souls on board.

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Why is it important?

The flight 587 accident demonstrated that well - intentioned initiatives, such as upset-recovery training programs, must be carefully thought out to avoid negative training, and that airplane flight control systems can behave unintuitively when operated in ways their designers may not have anticipated.