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A B737 flight crew suffered the loss of pitch trim during and arrival and landing in heavy precipitation and icing.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 879080 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201003 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0001-0600 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.TRACON |
| State Reference | US |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Initial Approach |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Elevator Trim System |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying First Officer |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence |
Narrative:
Following the disengagement of autopilot/auto throttles on final approach; (aircraft configuration was flaps 10; landing gear retracted) I called for the landing gear down; flaps 15. I noted while the aircraft configuration was changing; the electric trim switch on the first officer's control column didn't work. Brought it to the captain's attention and asked him to try his trim switches. They; too; did not work. At this time we were in VMC conditions; with heavy winds (45-65 KTS from the southwest); and felt the conditions were deteriorating. (On the initial phase of the approach we encountered icing and heavy precipitation; with reports of moderate turbulence). We identified the problem as an electric stab trim fail. Once the aircraft was fully configured; and inside the FAF; I noted the trim position was about 6 degrees nose-up; which was consistent with our weight and configuration; and would require some forward pressure on the yoke should a go-around be required; but would be fully controllable. In final configuration the aircraft remained in a balance and trimmed state for an uneventful landing and rollout. Following block-in when the power had been shifted to ground power I noted that the electric trim operated. I'm not sure if this was due to the power source shift; or whether icing encountered on the approach had affected the trim motor.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A B737 flight crew suffered the loss of pitch trim during and arrival and landing in heavy precipitation and icing.
Narrative: Following the disengagement of autopilot/auto throttles on final approach; (aircraft configuration was Flaps 10; landing gear retracted) I called for the landing gear down; Flaps 15. I noted while the aircraft configuration was changing; the electric trim switch on the First Officer's control column didn't work. Brought it to the Captain's attention and asked him to try his trim switches. They; too; did not work. At this time we were in VMC conditions; with heavy winds (45-65 KTS from the southwest); and felt the conditions were deteriorating. (On the initial phase of the approach we encountered icing and heavy precipitation; with reports of moderate turbulence). We identified the problem as an electric stab trim fail. Once the aircraft was fully configured; and inside the FAF; I noted the trim position was about 6 degrees nose-up; which was consistent with our weight and configuration; and would require some forward pressure on the yoke should a go-around be required; but would be fully controllable. In final configuration the aircraft remained in a balance and trimmed state for an uneventful landing and rollout. Following block-in when the power had been shifted to ground power I noted that the electric trim operated. I'm not sure if this was due to the power source shift; or whether icing encountered on the approach had affected the trim motor.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.