It was just a news blurb this morning on the local TV news, but they
claimed that investigators now blame the loss of the Air Bus 300's
tail on the improper use of the rudder by the co-pilot.

If true (that the co-pilot is actually being blamed), I find that
difficult to believe. A little research on the net uncovered a bunch
of articles about how the Air Bus encountered wake turbulence from a
preceding airliner and that the rudder experienced some rapid movement
which exceeded it's structural design parameters, and it cleanly
parted the aircraft.

Prior to this accident, were Air Bus 300 pilots specifically told NOT
to use the rudder in flight? Because if they did they might exceed
the design parameters of the rudder? One article claimed that pilots
were taught to counter wake turbulence using ailerons only. It wasn't
clear to me if that applied to Air Buses only, or all airliners.

Or did they learn not to use the rudder during flight because of this
accident?

Either way, I find it difficult to blame the co-pilot for reacting in
what is likely a normal pilot response to turbulence. Surely all
airliners aren't so tempermental when it comes to rudder input are
they?

Corky Scott