Narrative:

During climb out from cmh at approximately 4000-6000 ft MSL, I noticed an autoplt mistrim advisory light. I disconnected the autoplt. As soon as I disconnected the autoplt the nose started to rise. I applied forward pressure, but the nose still wanted to rise. I applied more pressure and tried to trim. I was unable to trim because the autoplt had trimmed full nose down before I disconnected the autoplt. I then applied a lot of forward pressure and told the captain 'help push' and told him that my elevator was jammed. He pushed and said his pitch control was not good, but did move some. We completed a pitch disconnect. We both tried our yokes and found his to work best. He said standby electric trim helped but he still had to apply forward pressure. I suggested that we move all of the passenger (11 or 12) to the first 3 rows. He concurred and I notified the flight attendant to move the people. We declared an emergency and requested top reports. We leveled off at FL200 and finished the pitch jam checklist. At FL200 the wings had only picked up a trace of ice since our departure. It had been snowing a couple hours at cmh before departure. We asked to be deiced at the gate and immediately prior to taking the runway, and we checked our respective wings and found them to be free from contamination. Also, the flight control check was normal. We continued the flight to dtw (our destination) because it had the best WX (VMC) and cmh was about 1 1/2 to 2 SM visibility and the captain was concerned about the ability to execute an instrument approach. The captain said pitch control got better as we continued and we landed without difficulty. My yoke was jammed until our taxi. Dtw was a few degrees above freezing. Speaking to the chief pilot, he said that maintenance found the top of the tail covered in ice. During the investigation the deicer in cmh said that he did not see anything on the tail so he did not spray any fluid on the tail. He has been fired and the entire station is being retrained. The flcs must trust (with our lives) that the deicer in the bucket truck who can get up and see the top of the tail will do his or her job. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter believes that the flight control malfunction problems were strictly a result of the ice accretion on the tail (that had not been removed) prior to flight. Subsequent maintenance inspection found one quarter inch of ice on the upper surface of the tail. As a result of this incident, the manufacturer put out an all operator message stating that deicing the wings or tail only, does not ensure that the entire aircraft is free of ice during deicing procedures.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE FLC OF A DH8 EXPERIENCED CTL PROBS DURING THEIR DEP CLB AS A RESULT OF TAIL ICE THAT HAD NOT BEEN REMOVED DURING THE PREDEP DEICING. WHEN AN AUTOPLT MISTRIM ADVISORY LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE FO (PF) DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND THE ACFT PITCHED UP, REQUIRING FORWARD YOKE PRESSURE FROM BOTH CREW MEMBERS. AN EMER WAS DECLARED AND THE FLT WAS CONTINUED TO VFR CONDITIONS (DEST).

Narrative: DURING CLBOUT FROM CMH AT APPROX 4000-6000 FT MSL, I NOTICED AN AUTOPLT MISTRIM ADVISORY LIGHT. I DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT. AS SOON AS I DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT THE NOSE STARTED TO RISE. I APPLIED FORWARD PRESSURE, BUT THE NOSE STILL WANTED TO RISE. I APPLIED MORE PRESSURE AND TRIED TO TRIM. I WAS UNABLE TO TRIM BECAUSE THE AUTOPLT HAD TRIMMED FULL NOSE DOWN BEFORE I DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT. I THEN APPLIED A LOT OF FORWARD PRESSURE AND TOLD THE CAPT 'HELP PUSH' AND TOLD HIM THAT MY ELEVATOR WAS JAMMED. HE PUSHED AND SAID HIS PITCH CTL WAS NOT GOOD, BUT DID MOVE SOME. WE COMPLETED A PITCH DISCONNECT. WE BOTH TRIED OUR YOKES AND FOUND HIS TO WORK BEST. HE SAID STANDBY ELECTRIC TRIM HELPED BUT HE STILL HAD TO APPLY FORWARD PRESSURE. I SUGGESTED THAT WE MOVE ALL OF THE PAX (11 OR 12) TO THE FIRST 3 ROWS. HE CONCURRED AND I NOTIFIED THE FLT ATTENDANT TO MOVE THE PEOPLE. WE DECLARED AN EMER AND REQUESTED TOP RPTS. WE LEVELED OFF AT FL200 AND FINISHED THE PITCH JAM CHKLIST. AT FL200 THE WINGS HAD ONLY PICKED UP A TRACE OF ICE SINCE OUR DEP. IT HAD BEEN SNOWING A COUPLE HRS AT CMH BEFORE DEP. WE ASKED TO BE DEICED AT THE GATE AND IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO TAKING THE RWY, AND WE CHKED OUR RESPECTIVE WINGS AND FOUND THEM TO BE FREE FROM CONTAMINATION. ALSO, THE FLT CTL CHK WAS NORMAL. WE CONTINUED THE FLT TO DTW (OUR DEST) BECAUSE IT HAD THE BEST WX (VMC) AND CMH WAS ABOUT 1 1/2 TO 2 SM VISIBILITY AND THE CAPT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE ABILITY TO EXECUTE AN INST APCH. THE CAPT SAID PITCH CTL GOT BETTER AS WE CONTINUED AND WE LANDED WITHOUT DIFFICULTY. MY YOKE WAS JAMMED UNTIL OUR TAXI. DTW WAS A FEW DEGS ABOVE FREEZING. SPEAKING TO THE CHIEF PLT, HE SAID THAT MAINT FOUND THE TOP OF THE TAIL COVERED IN ICE. DURING THE INVESTIGATION THE DEICER IN CMH SAID THAT HE DID NOT SEE ANYTHING ON THE TAIL SO HE DID NOT SPRAY ANY FLUID ON THE TAIL. HE HAS BEEN FIRED AND THE ENTIRE STATION IS BEING RETRAINED. THE FLCS MUST TRUST (WITH OUR LIVES) THAT THE DEICER IN THE BUCKET TRUCK WHO CAN GET UP AND SEE THE TOP OF THE TAIL WILL DO HIS OR HER JOB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR BELIEVES THAT THE FLT CTL MALFUNCTION PROBS WERE STRICTLY A RESULT OF THE ICE ACCRETION ON THE TAIL (THAT HAD NOT BEEN REMOVED) PRIOR TO FLT. SUBSEQUENT MAINT INSPECTION FOUND ONE QUARTER INCH OF ICE ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE TAIL. AS A RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, THE MANUFACTURER PUT OUT AN ALL OPERATOR MESSAGE STATING THAT DEICING THE WINGS OR TAIL ONLY, DOES NOT ENSURE THAT THE ENTIRE ACFT IS FREE OF ICE DURING DEICING PROCS.

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.