A return and land is mandated when the crew of a B757-200 has a problem with their rudder trim in cr...

Attributes
ACN	619579
Time
Date	200406
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	intersection : sanfe
State Reference	FO
Altitude	msl single value : 37000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zla.artcc artcc : mmzt.artcc tracon : sct.tracon tracon : l30.tracon
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B757-200
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	cruise : level descent : intermediate altitude
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 13500
ASRS Report	619579
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 120 flight time total : 6000 flight time type : 120
ASRS Report	619582
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other flight crewb
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance controller : provided flight assist flight crew : landed in emergency condition flight crew : declared emergency flight crew : diverted to another airport other
Consequence	other other Other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Weather Environmental Factor Aircraft
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

My first officer was hand flying in climb and needed 2 units of left rudder trim. At leveloff, he told me that he could not trim to the right. I watched him trim and the trim was sticking anywhere from 2-5 seconds maximum. This happened more than 3 times. I told first officer to fly and do radios. I called maintenance coordinator, who told us the aircraft had history about the rudder trim. Our aircraft also had egt problems which were chronic. We talked about the problem and decided that due to the difficulty of communication, night in mexico, limited diversion stations, thunderstorms in destination and if an engine failure we would have greater problems, so we went to lax. I advised maintenance coordinator. The aircraft flight manual had no reference to rudder trim issues. There were no EICAS messages. I told maintenance coordinator we would be overweight for the landing. First officer got clearance back to lax over sanfe intersection. Discussed san as alternate, but due to short runway and npa, lax as best decision. Socal gave us runway 25L ILS. On descent, I took aircraft to landing. I declared the emergency due to overweight landing. With autoplt on and speed brakes in use, the yoke deflected 3 degree units of aileron markings to the right. I retracted the speed brakes and the yoke returned to norm. I didn't want to use the speed brakes again for rest of flight. No EICAS for that as well. With lax runway 25L in sight, I disconnected the autoplt and hand flew to the runway. Touchdown was smooth, bank angles were less than 30 degrees. On rollout, the speed brakes extended 1/2, then the nose abruptly pitched up. I immediately pushed the nose over and grounded the nosewheel smoothly. No other problems occurred. ATC wanted no information from us. At gate, I called flight operations and told them what happened. Wrote up aircraft then went to other aircraft and continued west. Supplemental information from acn 619582: the rudder trim did not respond properly as pilot attempted to readjust it. The rudder trim only responded after holding the trim knob to the right several seconds.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A RETURN AND LAND IS MANDATED WHEN THE CREW OF A B757-200 HAS A PROB WITH THEIR RUDDER TRIM IN CRUISE AND THEIR SPOILER SYS ON DSCNT AND LNDG AT LAX, CA.

Narrative: MY FO WAS HAND FLYING IN CLB AND NEEDED 2 UNITS OF L RUDDER TRIM. AT LEVELOFF, HE TOLD ME THAT HE COULD NOT TRIM TO THE R. I WATCHED HIM TRIM AND THE TRIM WAS STICKING ANYWHERE FROM 2-5 SECONDS MAX. THIS HAPPENED MORE THAN 3 TIMES. I TOLD FO TO FLY AND DO RADIOS. I CALLED MAINT COORDINATOR, WHO TOLD US THE ACFT HAD HISTORY ABOUT THE RUDDER TRIM. OUR ACFT ALSO HAD EGT PROBS WHICH WERE CHRONIC. WE TALKED ABOUT THE PROB AND DECIDED THAT DUE TO THE DIFFICULTY OF COM, NIGHT IN MEXICO, LIMITED DIVERSION STATIONS, TSTMS IN DEST AND IF AN ENG FAILURE WE WOULD HAVE GREATER PROBS, SO WE WENT TO LAX. I ADVISED MAINT COORDINATOR. THE ACFT FLT MANUAL HAD NO REF TO RUDDER TRIM ISSUES. THERE WERE NO EICAS MESSAGES. I TOLD MAINT COORDINATOR WE WOULD BE OVERWT FOR THE LNDG. FO GOT CLRNC BACK TO LAX OVER SANFE INTXN. DISCUSSED SAN AS ALTERNATE, BUT DUE TO SHORT RWY AND NPA, LAX AS BEST DECISION. SOCAL GAVE US RWY 25L ILS. ON DSCNT, I TOOK ACFT TO LNDG. I DECLARED THE EMER DUE TO OVERWT LNDG. WITH AUTOPLT ON AND SPD BRAKES IN USE, THE YOKE DEFLECTED 3 DEG UNITS OF AILERON MARKINGS TO THE R. I RETRACTED THE SPD BRAKES AND THE YOKE RETURNED TO NORM. I DIDN'T WANT TO USE THE SPD BRAKES AGAIN FOR REST OF FLT. NO EICAS FOR THAT AS WELL. WITH LAX RWY 25L IN SIGHT, I DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND HAND FLEW TO THE RWY. TOUCHDOWN WAS SMOOTH, BANK ANGLES WERE LESS THAN 30 DEGS. ON ROLLOUT, THE SPD BRAKES EXTENDED 1/2, THEN THE NOSE ABRUPTLY PITCHED UP. I IMMEDIATELY PUSHED THE NOSE OVER AND GNDED THE NOSEWHEEL SMOOTHLY. NO OTHER PROBS OCCURRED. ATC WANTED NO INFO FROM US. AT GATE, I CALLED FLT OPS AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED. WROTE UP ACFT THEN WENT TO OTHER ACFT AND CONTINUED W. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 619582: THE RUDDER TRIM DID NOT RESPOND PROPERLY AS PLT ATTEMPTED TO READJUST IT. THE RUDDER TRIM ONLY RESPONDED AFTER HOLDING THE TRIM KNOB TO THE R SEVERAL SECONDS.

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.

A return and land is mandated when the crew of a B757-200 has a problem with their rudder trim in cruise and their spoiler system on descent and landing at lax, ca.