Narrative:

In-flight, as the captain was hand flying for a landing, he went to move the elevator down. He felt it bind and then release 3 times. What was stated in a write-up was that problem could not be duplicated and that cables and pulleys were checked. We were given a line maintenance directive to perform an elevator feel forces check per maintenance manual. Aircraft pitot's were pressurized to simulate flight speeds of 380 KTS and 175 KTS. At both flight speeds, problem could not be duplicated. A test flight was requested and granted. Test crew experienced same problem. Flight was diverted into ZZZ1 maintenance base, whereupon the left hand elevator cables were found to be mis-routed and contacting a frame/stringer. Frame/stringer was partially worn into with cable being frayed. Aircraft was 100 days out of an hmv from an outside vendor where damage was located in an area not readily accessible by line personnel or visible by line personnel without a lot of disassembly. Aircraft was repaired and test flighted to verify problem corrected.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-500 TECHNICIAN RPTS AFTER SEVERAL GND TESTS AND CHKS, HE WAS UNABLE TO CORRECT A L ELEVATOR BINDING RPT. LATER FOUND CABLE MISROUTED.

Narrative: INFLT, AS THE CAPT WAS HAND FLYING FOR A LNDG, HE WENT TO MOVE THE ELEVATOR DOWN. HE FELT IT BIND AND THEN RELEASE 3 TIMES. WHAT WAS STATED IN A WRITE-UP WAS THAT PROB COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED AND THAT CABLES AND PULLEYS WERE CHKED. WE WERE GIVEN A LINE MAINT DIRECTIVE TO PERFORM AN ELEVATOR FEEL FORCES CHK PER MAINT MANUAL. ACFT PITOT'S WERE PRESSURIZED TO SIMULATE FLT SPDS OF 380 KTS AND 175 KTS. AT BOTH FLT SPDS, PROB COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. A TEST FLT WAS REQUESTED AND GRANTED. TEST CREW EXPERIENCED SAME PROB. FLT WAS DIVERTED INTO ZZZ1 MAINT BASE, WHEREUPON THE L HAND ELEVATOR CABLES WERE FOUND TO BE MIS-ROUTED AND CONTACTING A FRAME/STRINGER. FRAME/STRINGER WAS PARTIALLY WORN INTO WITH CABLE BEING FRAYED. ACFT WAS 100 DAYS OUT OF AN HMV FROM AN OUTSIDE VENDOR WHERE DAMAGE WAS LOCATED IN AN AREA NOT READILY ACCESSIBLE BY LINE PERSONNEL OR VISIBLE BY LINE PERSONNEL WITHOUT A LOT OF DISASSEMBLY. ACFT WAS REPAIRED AND TEST FLIGHTED TO VERIFY PROB CORRECTED.

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.