Dash 8-102 Elevator Jam During Climb from Québec

Incident Overview and Crew Actions On an instrument flight rules flight from Québec/Jean Lesage International Airport to Montréal/Dorval International Airport, a Dash 8-102 with registration C-FHRC and serial number 209 encountered a jammed elevator during climb-out. The aircraft had been cleared to maintain 14,000 feet above sea level. At approximately 12,000 feet, the first officer, who was manually controlling the aircraft, reported that the elevator controls were jammed. The pilot-in-command took control, confirmed the jam, and noted that the elevator trim was at the nose-down limit. Attempts to disconnect the left and right elevators using the pitch disconnect handle were unsuccessful, and the system was subsequently reset. An attempt to engage the autopilot also failed, as it disengaged automatically after a few seconds. The crew declared an emergency and returned to Jean Lesage Airport, using elevator trim and engine power to control the aircraft until landing, which proceeded without further incident. During taxiing, the pilot-in-command found the elevator controls to be working normally.