Reply #38: The lift has to be balanced between the wings and the tail. [View All]

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

The tail produces downward lift so the aircraft pitches about its center of gravity in normal flight. If the downward lift produced by the horizontal tail surface is lost, the airplane pitches up abruptly. Depending on the aircraft, trim tabs are used either to control the elevator aerodynamically (in larger or high-performance aircraft), or just to adjust pitch trim. Considering the aerodynamic load on this aircraft at the speed it was flying, loss of the trim tab might have been enough to cause the loss of control.