Originally posted by cpxxx
But surely the lesson is that an airliner is not an aerobatic aircraft and that full and rapid rudder deflections applied in a sideslip would overload any airliner's vertical tail simply because it is not designed for that kind of treatment.
It could happen to a Boeing.
True story:
On dark and stormy night (literally) I got called out at 2AM to S/O a 727 on a functional check flight when it came out of phase maintenance. Captain was an ex-Navy "fighter pilot". Wasn't my first FCF but it was my most exciting.
One check is to turn off both yaw dampers at cruise speed, induce dutch roll with rudder input and turn on ONE yaw damper and make sure the yaw damper stops the dutch roll. Then you do the same thing with the other yaw damper.
Most folks put in a bit of right then left rudder and got about a 10 degree of bank dutch roll going.
This Captain had the F/O do the first one and that's what the F/O did, about 10 degrees. The skipper says... "That's no Ductch roll.. here, lemme show ya."
Immediately, the little red light that flashes in your brain when trouble beckons started going off on the F/O, S/O and two maintenance guys heads. We could see it on each other's faces but it was 1982, when a Captain was a CAPTAIN. (Before CRM).
Ewwwwwwwwww yah. He turns off the yaw dampers and goes about full throw with the rudders in a left/right/left/right/left quick step.
By the time he's done, the aircraft is Dutch rolling in excess of 60 degrees of bank... I couldn't see the ADI very well because I was hugging the S/O panel to keep from getting seat belt/shoulder harness bruises. The mechs are bouncing around the cockpit.
The Captain reaches down and ... the chief mech yells "NO!!!" slaps on the yaw dampers, which are close together and he hit both guards at once. BOTH yaw dampers snap on.
WHAM! It stopped that Dutch roll right now. Violently. 60+ bank to straight and level in one click.
Captain says, "Ops, one at a time. We gotta do it again." we all shout "NO!"
He looks at us, frowning and getting pissed... "WHAT?"
Us: "NO!"
He says "P s". (word for multiple feminine sex organs) and proceeds to brood and frown the rest of the flight.
Chief Mech says "now we'll have to inspect the vert stab again to see if anything broke.
We landed, they inspected. I checked the records... all OK.
Scared the doo dah out of four people though.. didn't bother the other one, however. Yeah, I like Boeings. Metal ones, anyway.