Safety board says pilots can cause tail fin to break off

‘Many airline pilots are unaware that their maneuvering can cause part of an airplane’s tail fin to break off, the National Transportation Safety Board announced Friday during a progress report on the crash of American Airlines Flight 587.

“We’ve calculated that certain rudder inputs by pilots made during certain stages of a flight can cause catastrophic failure of an airline’s vertical stabilizer,” said NTSB chairwoman Marion Blakey.’ CNN