Narrative:

The WX in the denver area deteriorated below my personal minimums so I requested ATC for local WX. I asked first for denver stapleton WX and specifically asked if there are any holding into the airport and they said 'there was no delay. Some delays this morning but at the current time there was none.' I then requested various airports north of denver for possible locations to land for fuel. A number of locations were given and I requested a change. After receiving direct to airport and requested lower since I was only about 45 mi from location at 21000 ft. After a while I was cleared to 20000 ft and stopped a short time after then lowered to 19000 ft, then after a brief time lower to 18000 ft. I used the speed brakes to lower the altitude each time with no power reduction since I was only descending down 1000 ft. The procedure was autoplt off (altitude hold) then put on the speed brakes and you will get about 500 ft descent rate about 100 ft from the target altitude then you simply turn off the speed brakes and press the altitude hold button and the plane levels out. Then you check the instrument to insure the intended results. I did this procedure 3 times for the 3 different 1000 ft dscnts. The final descent from 19000- 18000 ft was when we flew into a scattered layer. The same procedure was used and the speed brakes were turned off and the indicator light went out and the altitude hold button on the autoplt was activated. The plane did not respond as it did just a few min ago and we were still descending even though none of speed brake indicators indicated a problem. The altitude was still going down but the speed brakes were off and no light was indicated. I still had 29 inches of manifold pressure during the descent so I pitched up the aircraft and tried to maintain the assigned altitude of 18000 ft. The plane was not responding but with considerable back pressure and an increase of manifold pressure I was able to maintain altitude but was very slow in climbing back to 18000 ft. My airspeed was slowly decreasing because as I found out later that the speed brakes were frozen into the up (on) position causing the plane to reduce speed. It appeared that when I flew through a small scattered layer for a couple of seconds that it was enough to freeze the brakes in the on position. I tried to explain to ATC when we descended below 18000 ft by about 350 ft before I gained control of the aircraft. I told him what the problem was but it was very hard to explain as I found out later that he had taken me through an al of numerous planes in holding patterns for denver. Looking back I may have been better off to declare an emergency but without knowing that the controller had taken me through a holding pattern it did not seem necessary. I feel that taking an aircraft between 18000 ft and 17000 ft is a mistake. We lost about 150 ft just because of the different altimeter settings. So even if I were able to stop at 18000 ft we still could have deviated from the separation of 1000 ft. Upon arriving home: speed brakes were checked out by my mechanic and was found in satisfactory condition. Called speed brakes company. Over the phone they stated that the speed brakes were not to be used in icing conditions. I told them I flew into a scattered area and he said that can do it. 'Why is the plane not placarded against flying into known icing conditions with the use of the speed brakes' and he said there is no placard but it is in the supplement of your pilot operating handbook. I asked him to facsimile over the pages of the supplement and enclosed are copies of this documentation. There is only 1 line that restricts flight into ice and since this can dramatically affect the performance of the aircraft I feel this should be addressed further and the plane should be placarded for other pilots that may have not seen the 1 line on the supplement. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: it appears the speed brakes are a modification and so the information would not appear in the pilot operating handbook. Reporter feels this information should be disseminated to the pilots in some better fashion.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: P210 CESSNA IS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT WHEN SPD BRAKES FAIL TO RETRACT.

Narrative: THE WX IN THE DENVER AREA DETERIORATED BELOW MY PERSONAL MINIMUMS SO I REQUESTED ATC FOR LCL WX. I ASKED FIRST FOR DENVER STAPLETON WX AND SPECIFICALLY ASKED IF THERE ARE ANY HOLDING INTO THE ARPT AND THEY SAID 'THERE WAS NO DELAY. SOME DELAYS THIS MORNING BUT AT THE CURRENT TIME THERE WAS NONE.' I THEN REQUESTED VARIOUS ARPTS N OF DENVER FOR POSSIBLE LOCATIONS TO LAND FOR FUEL. A NUMBER OF LOCATIONS WERE GIVEN AND I REQUESTED A CHANGE. AFTER RECEIVING DIRECT TO ARPT AND REQUESTED LOWER SINCE I WAS ONLY ABOUT 45 MI FROM LOCATION AT 21000 FT. AFTER A WHILE I WAS CLRED TO 20000 FT AND STOPPED A SHORT TIME AFTER THEN LOWERED TO 19000 FT, THEN AFTER A BRIEF TIME LOWER TO 18000 FT. I USED THE SPD BRAKES TO LOWER THE ALT EACH TIME WITH NO PWR REDUCTION SINCE I WAS ONLY DSNDING DOWN 1000 FT. THE PROC WAS AUTOPLT OFF (ALT HOLD) THEN PUT ON THE SPD BRAKES AND YOU WILL GET ABOUT 500 FT DSCNT RATE ABOUT 100 FT FROM THE TARGET ALT THEN YOU SIMPLY TURN OFF THE SPD BRAKES AND PRESS THE ALT HOLD BUTTON AND THE PLANE LEVELS OUT. THEN YOU CHK THE INST TO INSURE THE INTENDED RESULTS. I DID THIS PROC 3 TIMES FOR THE 3 DIFFERENT 1000 FT DSCNTS. THE FINAL DSCNT FROM 19000- 18000 FT WAS WHEN WE FLEW INTO A SCATTERED LAYER. THE SAME PROC WAS USED AND THE SPD BRAKES WERE TURNED OFF AND THE INDICATOR LIGHT WENT OUT AND THE ALT HOLD BUTTON ON THE AUTOPLT WAS ACTIVATED. THE PLANE DID NOT RESPOND AS IT DID JUST A FEW MIN AGO AND WE WERE STILL DSNDING EVEN THOUGH NONE OF SPD BRAKE INDICATORS INDICATED A PROB. THE ALT WAS STILL GOING DOWN BUT THE SPD BRAKES WERE OFF AND NO LIGHT WAS INDICATED. I STILL HAD 29 INCHES OF MANIFOLD PRESSURE DURING THE DSCNT SO I PITCHED UP THE ACFT AND TRIED TO MAINTAIN THE ASSIGNED ALT OF 18000 FT. THE PLANE WAS NOT RESPONDING BUT WITH CONSIDERABLE BACK PRESSURE AND AN INCREASE OF MANIFOLD PRESSURE I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT BUT WAS VERY SLOW IN CLBING BACK TO 18000 FT. MY AIRSPD WAS SLOWLY DECREASING BECAUSE AS I FOUND OUT LATER THAT THE SPD BRAKES WERE FROZEN INTO THE UP (ON) POS CAUSING THE PLANE TO REDUCE SPD. IT APPEARED THAT WHEN I FLEW THROUGH A SMALL SCATTERED LAYER FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS THAT IT WAS ENOUGH TO FREEZE THE BRAKES IN THE ON POS. I TRIED TO EXPLAIN TO ATC WHEN WE DSNDED BELOW 18000 FT BY ABOUT 350 FT BEFORE I GAINED CTL OF THE ACFT. I TOLD HIM WHAT THE PROB WAS BUT IT WAS VERY HARD TO EXPLAIN AS I FOUND OUT LATER THAT HE HAD TAKEN ME THROUGH AN AL OF NUMEROUS PLANES IN HOLDING PATTERNS FOR DENVER. LOOKING BACK I MAY HAVE BEEN BETTER OFF TO DECLARE AN EMER BUT WITHOUT KNOWING THAT THE CTLR HAD TAKEN ME THROUGH A HOLDING PATTERN IT DID NOT SEEM NECESSARY. I FEEL THAT TAKING AN ACFT BTWN 18000 FT AND 17000 FT IS A MISTAKE. WE LOST ABOUT 150 FT JUST BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENT ALTIMETER SETTINGS. SO EVEN IF I WERE ABLE TO STOP AT 18000 FT WE STILL COULD HAVE DEVIATED FROM THE SEPARATION OF 1000 FT. UPON ARRIVING HOME: SPD BRAKES WERE CHKED OUT BY MY MECH AND WAS FOUND IN SATISFACTORY CONDITION. CALLED SPD BRAKES COMPANY. OVER THE PHONE THEY STATED THAT THE SPD BRAKES WERE NOT TO BE USED IN ICING CONDITIONS. I TOLD THEM I FLEW INTO A SCATTERED AREA AND HE SAID THAT CAN DO IT. 'WHY IS THE PLANE NOT PLACARDED AGAINST FLYING INTO KNOWN ICING CONDITIONS WITH THE USE OF THE SPD BRAKES' AND HE SAID THERE IS NO PLACARD BUT IT IS IN THE SUPPLEMENT OF YOUR PLT OPERATING HANDBOOK. I ASKED HIM TO FAX OVER THE PAGES OF THE SUPPLEMENT AND ENCLOSED ARE COPIES OF THIS DOCUMENTATION. THERE IS ONLY 1 LINE THAT RESTRICTS FLT INTO ICE AND SINCE THIS CAN DRAMATICALLY AFFECT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ACFT I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED FURTHER AND THE PLANE SHOULD BE PLACARDED FOR OTHER PLTS THAT MAY HAVE NOT SEEN THE 1 LINE ON THE SUPPLEMENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: IT APPEARS THE SPD BRAKES ARE A MODIFICATION AND SO THE INFO WOULD NOT APPEAR IN THE PLT OPERATING HANDBOOK. RPTR FEELS THIS INFO SHOULD BE DISSEMINATED TO THE PLTS IN SOME BETTER FASHION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.