Transport airplane pilots have used, or expected to use, the rudder “in ways not always trained and in ways not recommended by the manufacturer,” according to a survey conducted for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).1
The survey also found that “erroneous and accidental [rudder] inputs occur” and that some pilots had to compensate for overcontrolled or wrong-direction rudder commands.
Rudder inputs became a prominent issue following the fatal accident involving American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300, shortly after takeoff on Nov. 12, 2001. The flight data recorder indicated that moments before the accident there had been several rudder pedal inputs, to nearly full deflection, in opposite directions. The airplane’s vertical stabilizer separated in flight, control was lost and the airplane crashed into a residential area near John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York.
“This accident focused international attention on how pilots apply rud…
