What happened
The crew of a McDonnell Douglas MD-8LE experienced a partial flight control malfunction during the takeoff roll. According to the captain, the airplane's nose did not rise when aft control yoke pressure was initially applied. To achieve rotation, the pilot had to apply an excessive amount of aft control yoke pressure, which eventually resulted in a slow rotation and allowed the aircraft to assume the necessary pitch angle for takeoff.
Prior to the flight, the aircraft had been parked outdoors overnight, during which time temperatures dropped below minus 50 degrees F.
The investigation
An examination of the flight data recorder (FDR) revealed that during the early stages of the takeoff roll, both elevators remained in a down position. As the aircraft accelerated and reached approximately 150 knots, the elevators began responding to the pilot's control column inputs, allowing the nose to rotate. While the FDR captured elevator movement, the pilot's specific control column position was not a recorded parameter on this aircraft's FDR.
Following the event, company maintenance personnel performed an extensive inspection and evaluation of the flight control system. This inspection yielded no discovered anomalies within the flight control system.