What is it about?
This paper describes how Computational Fluid Dynamics and Flight Data Recorder information was used to determine that the vertical stabilizer of American Airlines flight 587 did not break off the airplane until aerodynamic forces well in excess of the ultimate design loads were applied to the tail as a result of the pilot's inappropriate rudder inputs.
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Why is it important?
This work shows that the airplane structure performed as designed and certified, but that inappropriate flight control inputs can defeat the safety margins built into aircraft designs. It also shows how Computational Fluid Dynamics can be used to determine aerodynamic loads in flight conditions that are impossible to test with an actual aircraft, or prohibitively expensive to determine with wind tunnel tests.
Perspectives
The lessons learned from the American Airlines flight 587 accident have lead to more robust certification criteria for aircraft designs, including the consideration of a more aggressive rudder maneuver.
Mr. John J O'Callaghan
National Transportation Safety Board
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Utilization of CFD in the American Airlines Flight 587 Accident Investigation, August 2008, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
DOI: 10.2514/6.2008-6905.
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