Incident Description
During the climbout phase, the pilot found that he could not lower the airplane's nose without applying excessive force on the yoke. Attempting to use the manual elevator trim wheel to lower the nose, he rolled the wheel forward, but upon release, it rolled back to its original position on its own. The pilot then performed all published emergency procedures, but the situation did not improve.
Pilot Actions
Deciding to discontinue the flight, the pilot executed a forced landing back to the airport. During the landing, the airplane maintained an excessively nose-high attitude. The pilot aggressively pushed the nose over using the yoke. The airplane touched down hard, causing the nose wheel assembly to collapse, and slid to a stop on the runway. The pilot stated that he did not recall engaging the autopilot during the flight and did not attempt to use the elevator trim switch located on the yoke.
Post-Incident Examination
Examination of the wreckage revealed no abnormalities with the autopilot or the flight controls when tested. No mechanical defects were identified that could explain the control difficulties experienced during the flight.
Prior Maintenance Discussion
Two days before the incident, the pilot had consulted an avionics mechanic about the elevator control being stiff and difficult to move. The mechanic examined the airplane and reported that it checked out OK but noted a possibility that the elevator servo might jam in an unscheduled position at some time. The pilot and mechanic agreed to replace the servos at a later date; however, the replacement did not occur until after the incident.