Narrative:

At FL290, 310 KIAS, smooth air, immediate roll and sink with loud external rumble and blinking red gear warning lights, followed by partially jammed ailerons. Squawked 7700, declared emergency with ATC and requested vectors to nearest suitable airport (bwi). Ailerons remained partially jammed to touchdown. PF needs 2 hands at all times to fly while PNF controls throttles to landing. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the aircraft was a B727-200 with JT8D-9 engines. The reporter said the incident involved 2 failures, the nose gear doors partially opening with associated noise and vibrations and shortly after the ailerons jamming. The reporter said when the doors opened with the rumbling noise and vibration, the captain advised the first officer to fly the airplane and the so and captain would attempt to correct the door problem. The reporter stated the decision was made to move the gear handle from 'off' to 'up' and then to 'off.' at first it did not correct the door problem, then in a short period of time the doors closed. The reporter said when the first officer was advised to fly the airplane the autoplt was disconnected and when attempting to move the ailerons it took both hands and excessive force to move the ailerons. The reporter said when aileron input was applied a loud ratcheting noise was heard. The reporter stated an emergency was declared and the controller did a great job vectoring the aircraft to a runway and only 1 turn was required. The reporter stated the concern with the ailerons was if they were damaged by one or both landing gear doors or components torn off during the vibrations. The reporter stated maintenance found the nose gear doors badly out of rig with a long chronic maintenance history of door rig problems and logbook reports. The reporter said the aileron problem was caused by the autoplt aileron servo that did not disconnect when the autoplt was switched off and was being back driven by manual inputs. The reporter stated the FAA and NTSB investigated and the reporter was advised the incident was closed.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B727-200 IN CRUISE AT FL290 DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO THE NOSE GEAR DOORS PARTIALLY OPENED AND JAMMED AILERONS CAUSED BY BADLY RIGGED NOSE GEAR DOORS AND A FAILED AILERON SERVO.

Narrative: AT FL290, 310 KIAS, SMOOTH AIR, IMMEDIATE ROLL AND SINK WITH LOUD EXTERNAL RUMBLE AND BLINKING RED GEAR WARNING LIGHTS, FOLLOWED BY PARTIALLY JAMMED AILERONS. SQUAWKED 7700, DECLARED EMER WITH ATC AND REQUESTED VECTORS TO NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT (BWI). AILERONS REMAINED PARTIALLY JAMMED TO TOUCHDOWN. PF NEEDS 2 HANDS AT ALL TIMES TO FLY WHILE PNF CTLS THROTTLES TO LNDG. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE ACFT WAS A B727-200 WITH JT8D-9 ENGS. THE RPTR SAID THE INCIDENT INVOLVED 2 FAILURES, THE NOSE GEAR DOORS PARTIALLY OPENING WITH ASSOCIATED NOISE AND VIBRATIONS AND SHORTLY AFTER THE AILERONS JAMMING. THE RPTR SAID WHEN THE DOORS OPENED WITH THE RUMBLING NOISE AND VIBRATION, THE CAPT ADVISED THE FO TO FLY THE AIRPLANE AND THE SO AND CAPT WOULD ATTEMPT TO CORRECT THE DOOR PROB. THE RPTR STATED THE DECISION WAS MADE TO MOVE THE GEAR HANDLE FROM 'OFF' TO 'UP' AND THEN TO 'OFF.' AT FIRST IT DID NOT CORRECT THE DOOR PROB, THEN IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME THE DOORS CLOSED. THE RPTR SAID WHEN THE FO WAS ADVISED TO FLY THE AIRPLANE THE AUTOPLT WAS DISCONNECTED AND WHEN ATTEMPTING TO MOVE THE AILERONS IT TOOK BOTH HANDS AND EXCESSIVE FORCE TO MOVE THE AILERONS. THE RPTR SAID WHEN AILERON INPUT WAS APPLIED A LOUD RATCHETING NOISE WAS HEARD. THE RPTR STATED AN EMER WAS DECLARED AND THE CTLR DID A GREAT JOB VECTORING THE ACFT TO A RWY AND ONLY 1 TURN WAS REQUIRED. THE RPTR STATED THE CONCERN WITH THE AILERONS WAS IF THEY WERE DAMAGED BY ONE OR BOTH LNDG GEAR DOORS OR COMPONENTS TORN OFF DURING THE VIBRATIONS. THE RPTR STATED MAINT FOUND THE NOSE GEAR DOORS BADLY OUT OF RIG WITH A LONG CHRONIC MAINT HISTORY OF DOOR RIG PROBS AND LOGBOOK RPTS. THE RPTR SAID THE AILERON PROB WAS CAUSED BY THE AUTOPLT AILERON SERVO THAT DID NOT DISCONNECT WHEN THE AUTOPLT WAS SWITCHED OFF AND WAS BEING BACK DRIVEN BY MANUAL INPUTS. THE RPTR STATED THE FAA AND NTSB INVESTIGATED AND THE RPTR WAS ADVISED THE INCIDENT WAS CLOSED.

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.