One engine down... and crash?

[Gargozul]

(sorry for the english) Hi everyone! During a mission, the Flak damaged an engine (n°3) of my plane. There was a fuel leak on this engine. So I stopped this engine, and got into the plane to transfer the fuel to the efficient other engines... Meanwhile, the plane started to dive, lost power. I went on the external view, the three other engines were running fine. The pilots were alive, and I didn't collide with anything...
I saw often, on other missions, that the B-17 controlled by the AI could fly with 3 engines. I'm not sure, but even with only 2 engines.
I could take command of my damaged B-17, but it was in the genter of Germany, the road was long to get home... So why the AI can't fly my plane with 3 engines?

[Smokey]

Maybe control damage?

[Gargozul]

I don't know. I think I've missed something in the configuration, but I'm unable to find what! That's the first time my plane crash because of one engine stopped. I had the same before, one engine down, but then the AI pilots were able to maintain the plane fly and go home...

[ikrananka]

Are you certain that there was still sufficient fuel for the other engines?
Did you feather the engine that you shutdown?

I suspect that Smokey may be right. If you get sufficient damage to the control surfaces of the B17 the AI will often not be able to control the plane and it will spiral downwards. This can happen even with 4 engines running, but is worse with 3. The only way to save such a B17 is to take manual control and fly it yourself.

If you play the squadron commander game then as your pilots go on more and more missions their experience increases. This improves their ability to fly damaged B17s and therefore there is less chance of the AI pilots crashing a damaged plane. However, in the single missions it does seem to be that the AI pilots are rookies and have a hard time flying with anything but minor damage.