Which item is included in the TESTED acronym for locating structural components?

• A. Wing
• B. Tail (Correct)
• C. Fuselage
• D. Nose

Answer: (B)

The TESTED mnemonic guides an investigator to the main regions of the airframe to inspect in a systematic way, and the tail area is included as its own category. The tail, or empennage, contains the vertical and horizontal stabilizers and the aft fuselage, which behave differently in loads and damage patterns than the wings or forward fuselage. By explicitly including the tail, the mnemonic ensures you don’t overlook how impacts, balance, and control forces manifest at the rear of the aircraft, which is crucial for interpreting stability issues, control surface failures, and load paths during the event. While wings, fuselage, and the nose are all important to inspect, this mnemonic specifically calls out the tail region as a distinct area to examine, making it the best-supported choice.