Sorry to hear about your crash. I also fly an LT-40 and it's a sweet plane. I just got back into flying after about a 5 year hiatus. the guy that was helping me knock the rust off recommended on long final actually fly the plane at you. This will help you adjust on short final for the runway. It also makes the plane turn away from you on short final up to landing, giving you more of a warm and fuzzy. I tried it and it worked great!

Talking to a few people, the tail becoming a TFOA (military jargon for Things Falling Off Aircraft) is a common issue with the LT-40. When I built mine I followed the directions and used CA to attach the tail. I was doing taxi practice in high winds and the plane flipped, snapping off the tail. My instructor recommended using epoxy to reattach the tail. Haven't had any problems since. I've also read of some people who have added some reenforcement to the tail. Just some ideas for the next one.