Stardate 20011114.1430 (On Screen): There
has been one case before of a commercial jet liner which crashed because it lost its vertical stabilizer. That one was a 747, and the failure mode was subtle: the pressure chamber in the jet gave way at the rear because of an inadequate repair, and the explosive decompression applied force to the tail which weakened it and led to it falling off. I think it's going to turn out that the source of Monday's crash will be something equally subtle and bizarre.
(discuss)
