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SA227 captain reported stiff elevator controls in cruise that gradually become impossible to move. Flight diverted to a suitable airport using power and trim to control pitch. Some elevator control returned just prior to landing and a safe landing ensued.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1397153 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201610 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | SA-227 AC Metro III |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 135 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Elevator ControlSystem |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical |
Narrative:
We took off with the autopilot deferred and disconnected in accordance with the MEL. We were level in cruise and as we were going along I could feel the elevator controls becoming stiff. About an hour and a half into the flight there was no response to the elevator when the controls were being pushed. I then contacted ATC and informed them what was happening and that we needed to divert. I thought that it had to be the controls were freezing from moisture. I requested lower to see if we could get into above freezing temperatures to try and melt the ice. We flew an arrival and continued to descend using trim and power; but even as we were in warmer temperatures there was still no elevator control. We received clearance to land for the visual; and as we were getting close to the runway we began to get some of the elevator control back. After landing we taxied to the hangar and informed maintenance of what we thought it was. We found that one of the 10 gallon water jugs we used for ballast had cracked and was empty. The mechanics pulled up the floor panels on the plane and found one and a half inches of ice and vacuumed out 6 gallons of water.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: SA227 Captain reported stiff elevator controls in cruise that gradually become impossible to move. Flight diverted to a suitable airport using power and trim to control pitch. Some elevator control returned just prior to landing and a safe landing ensued.
Narrative: We took off with the autopilot deferred and disconnected in accordance with the MEL. We were level in cruise and as we were going along I could feel the elevator controls becoming stiff. About an hour and a half into the flight there was no response to the elevator when the controls were being pushed. I then contacted ATC and informed them what was happening and that we needed to divert. I thought that it had to be the controls were freezing from moisture. I requested lower to see if we could get into above freezing temperatures to try and melt the ice. We flew an arrival and continued to descend using trim and power; but even as we were in warmer temperatures there was still no elevator control. We received clearance to land for the visual; and as we were getting close to the runway we began to get some of the elevator control back. After landing we taxied to the hangar and informed maintenance of what we thought it was. We found that one of the 10 gallon water jugs we used for ballast had cracked and was empty. The mechanics pulled up the floor panels on the plane and found one and a half inches of ice and vacuumed out 6 gallons of water.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.