What occurs when the flight control law degrades to alternate law in flight?

When the flight control law degrades to alternate law, stick inputs in the roll axis indeed command a direct movement of the control surfaces. This is a fundamental change from the normal flight control laws, where inputs are processed through a more complex system that includes protections and limits. In alternate law, the aircraft’s control surfaces respond directly to the pilot’s inputs without the intermediate calculations that typically provide additional safety margins and protections.

At this stage, the high angle of attack protection and high-speed protection are no longer active. This means that the aircraft could be more susceptible to both stalls and overspeed conditions since these protections are significant features of the normal law operation. With alternate law, the control laws are simplified, allowing pilots more direct control at the expense of these built-in protections, making accurate handling the pilot's responsibility in such conditions.