Narrative:

We were cleared for takeoff on runway 24R at lax. It was the first officer's takeoff, first flight of the day for the crew and aircraft. All preflight checks were normal. Captain set takeoff thrust and called 80 KTS, and then V1 and rotate at 117, 118 KTS. V2 speed was 125 for this takeoff. First officer pulled back on yoke to a normal takeoff position, and several seconds after this he reported, 'something doesn't feel right.' several more seconds elapsed as first officer continued pulling further back with the yoke. Again he responded, 'something's not right, I don't think she's going to fly.' as I glanced ahead and noticed the aircraft nose was still on the runway, the first officer retarded the thrust levers to idle, then I took over the aircraft and accomplished a safe abort. First officer noticed the airspeed at 140 KTS at the initiation of the abort. Postflt inspection by the crew and later maintenance showed all flight controls to operate normally. All performance, flaps and trim settings, and aircraft weight and loading were refigured and no errors were found. The following morning another crew was making a takeoff with the first officer at the controls, and the same lack of pitch response was encountered until an excessive amount of back pressure was used on the yoke. That crew returned to the airport, landed, and grounded the aircraft. Further inspections of the aircraft are continuing. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the air carrier flight crew of this B737-300 rejected their takeoff at high speed when the aircraft would not rotate. The aircraft was ferried to a maintenance base after an inspection by lax maintenance. After a more detailed inspection and a report by the ferry flight captain of no trouble found, the aircraft was returned to service that day. The reporter alleges that on the subsequent the first officer rotated, but only when the control column was firmly held at full travel aft. The captain apparently took control and returned to land and the aircraft was taken by maintenance personnel. The reporter said that he was later told by his chief pilot that a bearing in the elevator ctring mechanism was apparently the cause and that the entire unit had been replaced and that boeing had confirmed the cause of the problem. The reporter credited their successful reject on the actions of his highly experienced first officer who was a former chief pilot with a great deal of time in the B737.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR FLC PERFORMS A HIGH SPD REJECT WHEN THE B737-300 DOES NOT ROTATE. LATER MAINT FINDS THAT A BEARING IN THE ELEVATOR CTRING MECHANISM HAD FAILED. B737-300.

Narrative: WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 24R AT LAX. IT WAS THE FO'S TKOF, FIRST FLT OF THE DAY FOR THE CREW AND ACFT. ALL PREFLT CHKS WERE NORMAL. CAPT SET TKOF THRUST AND CALLED 80 KTS, AND THEN V1 AND ROTATE AT 117, 118 KTS. V2 SPD WAS 125 FOR THIS TKOF. FO PULLED BACK ON YOKE TO A NORMAL TKOF POS, AND SEVERAL SECONDS AFTER THIS HE RPTED, 'SOMETHING DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT.' SEVERAL MORE SECONDS ELAPSED AS FO CONTINUED PULLING FURTHER BACK WITH THE YOKE. AGAIN HE RESPONDED, 'SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT, I DON'T THINK SHE'S GOING TO FLY.' AS I GLANCED AHEAD AND NOTICED THE ACFT NOSE WAS STILL ON THE RWY, THE FO RETARDED THE THRUST LEVERS TO IDLE, THEN I TOOK OVER THE ACFT AND ACCOMPLISHED A SAFE ABORT. FO NOTICED THE AIRSPD AT 140 KTS AT THE INITIATION OF THE ABORT. POSTFLT INSPECTION BY THE CREW AND LATER MAINT SHOWED ALL FLT CTLS TO OPERATE NORMALLY. ALL PERFORMANCE, FLAPS AND TRIM SETTINGS, AND ACFT WT AND LOADING WERE REFIGURED AND NO ERRORS WERE FOUND. THE FOLLOWING MORNING ANOTHER CREW WAS MAKING A TKOF WITH THE FO AT THE CTLS, AND THE SAME LACK OF PITCH RESPONSE WAS ENCOUNTERED UNTIL AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF BACK PRESSURE WAS USED ON THE YOKE. THAT CREW RETURNED TO THE ARPT, LANDED, AND GNDED THE ACFT. FURTHER INSPECTIONS OF THE ACFT ARE CONTINUING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE ACR FLC OF THIS B737-300 REJECTED THEIR TKOF AT HIGH SPD WHEN THE ACFT WOULD NOT ROTATE. THE ACFT WAS FERRIED TO A MAINT BASE AFTER AN INSPECTION BY LAX MAINT. AFTER A MORE DETAILED INSPECTION AND A RPT BY THE FERRY FLT CAPT OF NO TROUBLE FOUND, THE ACFT WAS RETURNED TO SVC THAT DAY. THE RPTR ALLEGES THAT ON THE SUBSEQUENT THE FO ROTATED, BUT ONLY WHEN THE CTL COLUMN WAS FIRMLY HELD AT FULL TRAVEL AFT. THE CAPT APPARENTLY TOOK CTL AND RETURNED TO LAND AND THE ACFT WAS TAKEN BY MAINT PERSONNEL. THE RPTR SAID THAT HE WAS LATER TOLD BY HIS CHIEF PLT THAT A BEARING IN THE ELEVATOR CTRING MECHANISM WAS APPARENTLY THE CAUSE AND THAT THE ENTIRE UNIT HAD BEEN REPLACED AND THAT BOEING HAD CONFIRMED THE CAUSE OF THE PROB. THE RPTR CREDITED THEIR SUCCESSFUL REJECT ON THE ACTIONS OF HIS HIGHLY EXPERIENCED FO WHO WAS A FORMER CHIEF PLT WITH A GREAT DEAL OF TIME IN THE B737.

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.