The tail of an aircraft, or the empennage, is essential for providing stability and control over pitch (up and down) and yaw (side to side). If the entire tail section or the horizontal stabilizer breaks off in flight, the results are almost always catastrophic and unrecoverable. The tail generates a downward aerodynamic force that balances the forward center of gravity; without it, the aircraft's nose will typically pitch down violently and uncontrollably due to the unbalanced weight. This leads to a steep dive or a flat spin from which pilots have no mechanical way to pull out, as the elevators used for pitch control are located on the tail. Historical accidents, such as the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 (which lost its horizontal stabilizer due to a failed jackscrew), illustrate that even partial tail failure can make an aircraft completely unmanageable. However, if only a small part of the tail—such as a section of the rudder—suffers minor damage, pilots may still be able to maintain limited control using other control surfaces like ailerons and varying engine thrust to safely land the plane.