Narrative:

On the second leg of a flight originating from daw, after a refueling stop at roc, I experienced difficulty (stiffness) with the elevator control while attempting to level off at 8000 ft MSL. I was on an IFR flight plan and already in contact with ZZZ approach control. I requested a precautionary landing at ZZZ. I landed without incident and taxied into the parking ramp at the FBO with the emergency vehicles following me to parking. I parked the plane as directed by ground crew personnel, then got out of my plane and walked into the FBO. We put my plane in the heated hangar. Mr X and another mechanic spoke to me about my in-flight difficulty with the elevator. Since the plane had been out in the rain while parked in daw, they speculated that a drain hole might be plugged, and that it was freezing at the higher altitudes causing the stiffness in the control. While parked in the hangar, quite a bit of water came out of the tail section of the plane, corroborating their suspicions. Mr X removed the left side inspection panel of the tail section and looked inside with a flashlight and confirmed that there was quite a bit of wetness. We allowed the plane to situation in the hangar for about 90 mins, until it seemed to be dried out. The entire time it was in the hangar, all controls operated normally. I departed ZZZ on another IFR flight plan to Y47 and completed that flight. During that flight, I did experience some stiffness again at higher altitudes (11000 ft MSL), but upon requesting and descending to a lower altitude, the stiffness went away. After landing at Y47, I removed the large inspection panel in the aft of the baggage compartment to see if there was any obvious evidence of obstruction to the controls or cables in the aft section of the plane. I discovered a shop rag that had been trapped beneath the pulleys, where all the control cables for the rear flight controls enter the tail section of the plane (immediately aft of the baggage compartment). I removed that rag and test flew the airplane to higher altitudes with no stiffness in the controls. I have since made several flts with the plane in below freezing temperatures without any evidence of stiffness. All controls are operating normally. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that after the second landing and having experienced some elevator stiffness, a thorough elevator cable inspection was required. The reporter said on a bulkhead panel, just aft of the cargo compartment are located 6 pulleys for rudder, elevator, and trim cables. The reporter stated that in the elevator pulleys, a wet rag was found jammed in the cable and pulley assembly. The reporter said the wet rag would explain the stiffness at freezing altitude as the rag would be frozen. The reporter stated the source of the rag is unknown.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BEECH 35 IN CRUISE AT 8000 FT DIVERTED DUE TO STIFFNESS IN ELEVATOR CTL. CLRED WATER FROM TAIL SECTION. SECOND FLT HAD STIFFNESS IN ELEVATOR. ON LNDG INSPECTION FOUND RAG IN ELEVATOR CABLE PULLEYS.

Narrative: ON THE SECOND LEG OF A FLT ORIGINATING FROM DAW, AFTER A REFUELING STOP AT ROC, I EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY (STIFFNESS) WITH THE ELEVATOR CTL WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LEVEL OFF AT 8000 FT MSL. I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN AND ALREADY IN CONTACT WITH ZZZ APCH CTL. I REQUESTED A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG AT ZZZ. I LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT AND TAXIED INTO THE PARKING RAMP AT THE FBO WITH THE EMER VEHICLES FOLLOWING ME TO PARKING. I PARKED THE PLANE AS DIRECTED BY GND CREW PERSONNEL, THEN GOT OUT OF MY PLANE AND WALKED INTO THE FBO. WE PUT MY PLANE IN THE HEATED HANGAR. MR X AND ANOTHER MECH SPOKE TO ME ABOUT MY INFLT DIFFICULTY WITH THE ELEVATOR. SINCE THE PLANE HAD BEEN OUT IN THE RAIN WHILE PARKED IN DAW, THEY SPECULATED THAT A DRAIN HOLE MIGHT BE PLUGGED, AND THAT IT WAS FREEZING AT THE HIGHER ALTS CAUSING THE STIFFNESS IN THE CTL. WHILE PARKED IN THE HANGAR, QUITE A BIT OF WATER CAME OUT OF THE TAIL SECTION OF THE PLANE, CORROBORATING THEIR SUSPICIONS. MR X REMOVED THE L SIDE INSPECTION PANEL OF THE TAIL SECTION AND LOOKED INSIDE WITH A FLASHLIGHT AND CONFIRMED THAT THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF WETNESS. WE ALLOWED THE PLANE TO SIT IN THE HANGAR FOR ABOUT 90 MINS, UNTIL IT SEEMED TO BE DRIED OUT. THE ENTIRE TIME IT WAS IN THE HANGAR, ALL CTLS OPERATED NORMALLY. I DEPARTED ZZZ ON ANOTHER IFR FLT PLAN TO Y47 AND COMPLETED THAT FLT. DURING THAT FLT, I DID EXPERIENCE SOME STIFFNESS AGAIN AT HIGHER ALTS (11000 FT MSL), BUT UPON REQUESTING AND DSNDING TO A LOWER ALT, THE STIFFNESS WENT AWAY. AFTER LNDG AT Y47, I REMOVED THE LARGE INSPECTION PANEL IN THE AFT OF THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY OBVIOUS EVIDENCE OF OBSTRUCTION TO THE CTLS OR CABLES IN THE AFT SECTION OF THE PLANE. I DISCOVERED A SHOP RAG THAT HAD BEEN TRAPPED BENEATH THE PULLEYS, WHERE ALL THE CTL CABLES FOR THE REAR FLT CTLS ENTER THE TAIL SECTION OF THE PLANE (IMMEDIATELY AFT OF THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT). I REMOVED THAT RAG AND TEST FLEW THE AIRPLANE TO HIGHER ALTS WITH NO STIFFNESS IN THE CTLS. I HAVE SINCE MADE SEVERAL FLTS WITH THE PLANE IN BELOW FREEZING TEMPS WITHOUT ANY EVIDENCE OF STIFFNESS. ALL CTLS ARE OPERATING NORMALLY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT AFTER THE SECOND LNDG AND HAVING EXPERIENCED SOME ELEVATOR STIFFNESS, A THOROUGH ELEVATOR CABLE INSPECTION WAS REQUIRED. THE RPTR SAID ON A BULKHEAD PANEL, JUST AFT OF THE CARGO COMPARTMENT ARE LOCATED 6 PULLEYS FOR RUDDER, ELEVATOR, AND TRIM CABLES. THE RPTR STATED THAT IN THE ELEVATOR PULLEYS, A WET RAG WAS FOUND JAMMED IN THE CABLE AND PULLEY ASSEMBLY. THE RPTR SAID THE WET RAG WOULD EXPLAIN THE STIFFNESS AT FREEZING ALT AS THE RAG WOULD BE FROZEN. THE RPTR STATED THE SOURCE OF THE RAG IS UNKNOWN.

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.