LONG RPT ON TEMPORARY LOSS OF ACFT CTL WITH A FLT CTL; ACFT EQUIP PROB.

Narrative

ON CLBOUT FROM SANTA BARBARA ARPT; AS I WAS TURNING TO A NEW HDG; ACFT WAS STIFF AND HARD TO CTL. AS THIS WAS A SHORT FERRY FLT AND ACFT WAS VERY LIGHT; WE WERE APCHING OUR ASSIGNED ALT OF 3000 FT RAPIDLY. SINCE I FELT I COULD NOT CTL ACFT; I TOLD FO TO DECLARE AN EMER. AS I CONTINUED TO ASSESS SIT; ACFT WAS STILL HARD TO CTL. I THOUGHT MAYBE I HAD GOTTEN A SPLIT FLAP CONDITION BUT GAUGE INDICATED FLAPS HAD BOTH RETRACTED. I ASKED FE TO CONDUCT FLT CTL MALFUNCTION CHKLIST. WHILE IN MIDST OF CHKLIST; I DECIDED MAYBE I SHOULD CHK AUTOPLT. I REACHED OVER TO AUTOPLT HANDLE AND FOUND IT ENGAGED. I DISCONNECTED AUTOPLT AND ALL CTL INPUTS RETURNED TO NORMAL. LANDED UNEVENTFULLY AT LOS ANGELES. I BELIEVE PROB AROSE DURING TAXI CHKLIST. WHEN FO WAS DOING AUTOPLT CHK; I MENTIONED THAT SINCE FLT WAS ONLY 20 MINS AND I WOULD NOT BE USING AUTOPLT; NOT TO BOTHER WITH CHKING IT. UNBEKNOWNST TO ME; SHE HAD ENGAGED AN AUTOPLT TO DO CHK. ABOUT THIS TIME SHE WAS INTERRUPTED TO ANSWER A RADIO CALL. SHE THEN RETURNED TO DOING THE CHKLIST BUT OMITTING COMPLETING THE AUTOPLT CHK SINCE I HAD SAID I WASN'T GOING TO USE IT; THUS SETTING UP THE PROB. I WAS TRYING TO FLY THE AIRPLANE MANUALLY AND OVERRIDE THE AUTOPLT WHICH MADE ME BELIEVE I HAD A CTL PROB. I HAVE LEARNED THAT I SHOULD LET THE ENTIRE CHKLIST BE COMPLETED WHETHER I AM GOING TO USE THAT EQUIP OR NOT. HOWEVER; SHE SHOULD BE SURE IT IS COMPLETE. ALSO CONTRIBUTING TO PROB WERE SOME OTHER FACTORS. SINCE THIS WAS A NIGHT TKOF AND COCKPIT LIGHTS WERE TURNED DOWN; COCKPIT WAS DARK. SINCE THE ONLY INDICATION OF AUTOPLT ENGAGEMENT IS HANDLE POS; I COULD NOT VISUALLY DETECT THE PROB. IF THIS WERE A DAY TKOF; I BELIEVE I WOULD HAVE NOTICED AND CORRECTED PROB. HOWEVER; I BELIEVE OTHER THINGS COULD HAVE ALSO STOPPED PROB FROM OCCURRING. FOR EXAMPLE; THERE IS NO INDICATION IN COCKPIT ON ANNUNCIATOR PANEL TO TELL THAT AN AUTOPLT IS ENGAGED. WE HAVE AN AURAL WARNING AND VISUAL ANNUNCIATION WHEN AUTOPLT IS DISCONNECTED BUT NOT WHEN IT IS CONNECTED. ALSO; MAYBE SOME OTHER WARNING CONDITION SUCH AS A TKOF WARNING HORN OR AURAL ANNUNCIATION COULD BE ADDED WHEN TKOF IS ATTEMPTED WITH THIS CONDITION. ALSO; IF A WARNING LIGHT WERE PUT ON THE HANDLE TO LIGHT UP WHEN AUTOPLT IS ENGAGED; THIS WOULD HELP AT NIGHT WHEN AUTOPLT HANDLES ARE NOT READILY VISIBLE TO CREW. ALSO; THE MANNER IN WHICH CHKLIST IS CONDUCTED MAY HAVE ADDED TO PROB. TAXI CHKLIST CALLS FOR 'AUTOPLT AND FLT DIRECTOR' CHK FOLLOWED BY 'FLT CTL' CHK. HOWEVER; MOST FO'S USUALLY DO A FLT CTL CHK AND THEN DO THE AUTOPLT CHK. THEN WHEN CHKLIST IS READ AND ANSWERED; BOTH ITEMS ARE RESPONDED AS COMPLETE. BUT THIS SETS UP A PROB BECAUSE IF AN AUTOPLT HANGS UP; THEN IT IS NOT CAUGHT ON THE FLT CTL CHK. SO I GUESS I NOW WILL INSIST WHAT 'TAXI CHK' IS CALLED THAT FO'S DO THE 'FLT CTL' CHK AFTER 'AUTOPLT AND FLT DIRECTOR' CHK. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT IF THE FIRST ITEM ON THE FLT CTL MALFUNCTION CHKLIST IS TO DISCONNECT AUTOPLT THEN PROB WOULD HAVE BEEN FOUND SOONER. I BELIEVE MANY FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROB BUT THE HUMAN INPUTS WERE THE MAIN REASON. I THINK NOW JUST AS A MATTER OF EXTRA SAFETY THAT I WILL PRESS THE AUTOPLT DISCONNECT BUTTON BEFORE I TURN ON TO THE RWY.