Narrative:

During climb to and leveloff at altitude, it was determined the elevator had frozen/become jammed. Flew aircraft using primary and alternate trim. Started airfoil anti-ice/tail cycling. Checked airports for crosswind, temperature at surface, freezing levels, lengths of runways. Included mke, ord, stl, dsm, mci, oma. Flight originated in mke. Best airport based on above oma. Descended to lower altitude. Started APU. At FL200 freezing level with temperature inversion lower. At 16000 ft temperature +20 degrees C, leveled at oma. Elevator control regained after 10 mins at 16000 ft. Landed oma without incident. Note: mke WX had heavy rain all night. Aircraft was parked there tail north that day. WX at departure time: XA56Z, 050 degrees at 21 KTS gusting to 27 KTS. Visibility 2 1/2, rain, 9 broken, 15 overcast, temperature/dew pt 3/3, altimeter 29.52, ILS runway 7R. This has occurred before. May or may not be a related problem. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter indicated his airline has had many frozen elevators this yr. The FAA, NTSB, and the manufacturer are currently involved in the investigation. It seems that a new type iv aircraft anti-icing fluid is plugging up water drain holes in the tail area. When the aircraft is positioned so that the rain and wind blow at a 50 degree angle from the nose on the left side, water accumulates in the tail. When the water freezes, as the aircraft climbs to altitude, the cables that activate the elevator control tabs freeze. They are immobilized until the ice in the tail area melts, as the aircraft descends.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DC9 CREW HAD THE ACFT ELEVATOR BECOME JAMMED INFLT.

Narrative: DURING CLB TO AND LEVELOFF AT ALT, IT WAS DETERMINED THE ELEVATOR HAD FROZEN/BECOME JAMMED. FLEW ACFT USING PRIMARY AND ALTERNATE TRIM. STARTED AIRFOIL ANTI-ICE/TAIL CYCLING. CHKED ARPTS FOR XWIND, TEMP AT SURFACE, FREEZING LEVELS, LENGTHS OF RWYS. INCLUDED MKE, ORD, STL, DSM, MCI, OMA. FLT ORIGINATED IN MKE. BEST ARPT BASED ON ABOVE OMA. DSNDED TO LOWER ALT. STARTED APU. AT FL200 FREEZING LEVEL WITH TEMP INVERSION LOWER. AT 16000 FT TEMP +20 DEGS C, LEVELED AT OMA. ELEVATOR CTL REGAINED AFTER 10 MINS AT 16000 FT. LANDED OMA WITHOUT INCIDENT. NOTE: MKE WX HAD HVY RAIN ALL NIGHT. ACFT WAS PARKED THERE TAIL N THAT DAY. WX AT DEP TIME: XA56Z, 050 DEGS AT 21 KTS GUSTING TO 27 KTS. VIS 2 1/2, RAIN, 9 BROKEN, 15 OVCST, TEMP/DEW PT 3/3, ALTIMETER 29.52, ILS RWY 7R. THIS HAS OCCURRED BEFORE. MAY OR MAY NOT BE A RELATED PROB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR INDICATED HIS AIRLINE HAS HAD MANY FROZEN ELEVATORS THIS YR. THE FAA, NTSB, AND THE MANUFACTURER ARE CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN THE INVESTIGATION. IT SEEMS THAT A NEW TYPE IV ACFT ANTI-ICING FLUID IS PLUGGING UP WATER DRAIN HOLES IN THE TAIL AREA. WHEN THE ACFT IS POSITIONED SO THAT THE RAIN AND WIND BLOW AT A 50 DEG ANGLE FROM THE NOSE ON THE L SIDE, WATER ACCUMULATES IN THE TAIL. WHEN THE WATER FREEZES, AS THE ACFT CLBS TO ALT, THE CABLES THAT ACTIVATE THE ELEVATOR CTL TABS FREEZE. THEY ARE IMMOBILIZED UNTIL THE ICE IN THE TAIL AREA MELTS, AS THE ACFT DSNDS.

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.