Narrative:

During pushback, the captain noticed it had begun snowing and requested deice service. The deice truck arrived and svced our aircraft. Snow had stopped. Deice service was completed. We taxied to runway 30L for takeoff. Initial takeoff roll was normal until vr. At vr, the takeoff warning horn began. The captain elected to continue takeoff and pulled yoke back to rotate. The aircraft did not rotate. The captain pulled the yoke back further in an attempt to rotate. The aircraft still did not rotate. At that point, the captain elected to abort. Abort was accomplished normally and aircraft was stopped straight ahead on the runway. We turned right off the runway at taxiway M. ATC requested we hold our position on taxiway M short of taxiway B while we sorted out our problem. We called maintenance. We told him our problem and about the abort. Maintenance said to return to the gate. We called operations and coordination return to the gate. At the gate, we again contacted maintenance and dispatch with the events as they occurred above. I do not know why the aircraft would not rotate. It was day #3 of a 4-DAY trip. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: incident was reviewed and the conclusion is that the trim was incorrectly set for takeoff. For deice purposes the trim is set full nose down, then 1 turn nose up. This sets the stabilizer trim indicator very near the bottom of the green band. In this case there was a sensor misalignment so that the takeoff warning did not sound even though technically the trim was outside the green band. During takeoff then, the elevator simply did not have enough authority/authorized to get the nose of the aircraft up. The crew received some remedial training and is back on the line. The airline is now changing their checklist so that an actual trim number is stated on the takeoff checklist versus trim set.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-300 DID NOT ROTATE AT VR. STABILIZER TRIM SET IMPROPERLY FOLLOWING DEICE PROC. TKOF ABORTED.

Narrative: DURING PUSHBACK, THE CAPT NOTICED IT HAD BEGUN SNOWING AND REQUESTED DEICE SVC. THE DEICE TRUCK ARRIVED AND SVCED OUR ACFT. SNOW HAD STOPPED. DEICE SVC WAS COMPLETED. WE TAXIED TO RWY 30L FOR TKOF. INITIAL TKOF ROLL WAS NORMAL UNTIL VR. AT VR, THE TKOF WARNING HORN BEGAN. THE CAPT ELECTED TO CONTINUE TKOF AND PULLED YOKE BACK TO ROTATE. THE ACFT DID NOT ROTATE. THE CAPT PULLED THE YOKE BACK FURTHER IN AN ATTEMPT TO ROTATE. THE ACFT STILL DID NOT ROTATE. AT THAT POINT, THE CAPT ELECTED TO ABORT. ABORT WAS ACCOMPLISHED NORMALLY AND ACFT WAS STOPPED STRAIGHT AHEAD ON THE RWY. WE TURNED R OFF THE RWY AT TXWY M. ATC REQUESTED WE HOLD OUR POS ON TXWY M SHORT OF TXWY B WHILE WE SORTED OUT OUR PROB. WE CALLED MAINT. WE TOLD HIM OUR PROB AND ABOUT THE ABORT. MAINT SAID TO RETURN TO THE GATE. WE CALLED OPS AND COORD RETURN TO THE GATE. AT THE GATE, WE AGAIN CONTACTED MAINT AND DISPATCH WITH THE EVENTS AS THEY OCCURRED ABOVE. I DO NOT KNOW WHY THE ACFT WOULD NOT ROTATE. IT WAS DAY #3 OF A 4-DAY TRIP. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: INCIDENT WAS REVIEWED AND THE CONCLUSION IS THAT THE TRIM WAS INCORRECTLY SET FOR TKOF. FOR DEICE PURPOSES THE TRIM IS SET FULL NOSE DOWN, THEN 1 TURN NOSE UP. THIS SETS THE STABILIZER TRIM INDICATOR VERY NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE GREEN BAND. IN THIS CASE THERE WAS A SENSOR MISALIGNMENT SO THAT THE TKOF WARNING DID NOT SOUND EVEN THOUGH TECHNICALLY THE TRIM WAS OUTSIDE THE GREEN BAND. DURING TKOF THEN, THE ELEVATOR SIMPLY DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH AUTH TO GET THE NOSE OF THE ACFT UP. THE CREW RECEIVED SOME REMEDIAL TRAINING AND IS BACK ON THE LINE. THE AIRLINE IS NOW CHANGING THEIR CHKLIST SO THAT AN ACTUAL TRIM NUMBER IS STATED ON THE TKOF CHKLIST VERSUS TRIM SET.

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.