Narrative:

I was the captain and PF of flight mco-pbi on may/sun/95. My first officer was on time and qualified. This was our first flight of that day and the entire flight was normal/uneventful until the landing flare. We were less than 50 ft above the ground in landing confign and final landing checks completed. As I pulled aft on the yoke, during the flare, I felt a binding feeling followed by a sudden release of pressure. This all happened suddenly and very close to the ground. The landing was normal and I was the only one to know that anything unusual had happened. I asked my first officer if the controls check prior to takeoff was normal, to which he replied 'yes.' after the after landing checks were completed, we pulled the yoke aft a couple more times with the same result, a firm binding about midway aft followed by a sudden release. After all the passenger were deplaned we did a visual exterior inspection and found everything normal. We then went into the aircraft. I sat in my seat and sent the first officer towards the middle of the plane to see if he could feel/hear binding. Between rows 3 and 4 the first officer could feel and hear an unusual noise. We (I) wrote the abnormality up in the aircraft log. Our maintenance department called contract maintenance at pbi. With contract maintenance at the aircraft we did a sas check on the aircraft. It was not satisfactory. We also disabled the sas clutch, pulled all 4 circuit breakers and still had the friction/release when pulling the yoke aft. Maintenance flew to pbi and disabled the servo system. We then ferried to mco where it was repaired.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT EQUIP PROB. DURING THE LNDG FLARE THE CAPT FEELS THE ELEVATOR BIND, BUT IS ABLE TO LAND SAFELY. THE SAS SERVO WAS AT FAULT.

Narrative: I WAS THE CAPT AND PF OF FLT MCO-PBI ON MAY/SUN/95. MY FO WAS ON TIME AND QUALIFIED. THIS WAS OUR FIRST FLT OF THAT DAY AND THE ENTIRE FLT WAS NORMAL/UNEVENTFUL UNTIL THE LNDG FLARE. WE WERE LESS THAN 50 FT ABOVE THE GND IN LNDG CONFIGN AND FINAL LNDG CHKS COMPLETED. AS I PULLED AFT ON THE YOKE, DURING THE FLARE, I FELT A BINDING FEELING FOLLOWED BY A SUDDEN RELEASE OF PRESSURE. THIS ALL HAPPENED SUDDENLY AND VERY CLOSE TO THE GND. THE LNDG WAS NORMAL AND I WAS THE ONLY ONE TO KNOW THAT ANYTHING UNUSUAL HAD HAPPENED. I ASKED MY FO IF THE CTLS CHK PRIOR TO TKOF WAS NORMAL, TO WHICH HE REPLIED 'YES.' AFTER THE AFTER LNDG CHKS WERE COMPLETED, WE PULLED THE YOKE AFT A COUPLE MORE TIMES WITH THE SAME RESULT, A FIRM BINDING ABOUT MIDWAY AFT FOLLOWED BY A SUDDEN RELEASE. AFTER ALL THE PAX WERE DEPLANED WE DID A VISUAL EXTERIOR INSPECTION AND FOUND EVERYTHING NORMAL. WE THEN WENT INTO THE ACFT. I SAT IN MY SEAT AND SENT THE FO TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF THE PLANE TO SEE IF HE COULD FEEL/HEAR BINDING. BTWN ROWS 3 AND 4 THE FO COULD FEEL AND HEAR AN UNUSUAL NOISE. WE (I) WROTE THE ABNORMALITY UP IN THE ACFT LOG. OUR MAINT DEPT CALLED CONTRACT MAINT AT PBI. WITH CONTRACT MAINT AT THE ACFT WE DID A SAS CHK ON THE ACFT. IT WAS NOT SATISFACTORY. WE ALSO DISABLED THE SAS CLUTCH, PULLED ALL 4 CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND STILL HAD THE FRICTION/RELEASE WHEN PULLING THE YOKE AFT. MAINT FLEW TO PBI AND DISABLED THE SERVO SYS. WE THEN FERRIED TO MCO WHERE IT WAS REPAIRED.

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.