FLC LOSE ROLL CTL AT FL365 IN CLB TO FL370 AND HAVE TO DSND.

Narrative

MD-80 FLT FROM IAH TO DCA; WHILE CLBING TO 37000 FT; AUTOPLT; AUTOTHROTTLES; AND FLT DIRECTORS KEPT TRIPPING OFF; IN VARIOUS COMBINATIONS AT INTERMITTENT INTERVALS. AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT; I WAS HAND FLYING THE ACFT; AS A RESULT. UPON LEAVING 36500 FT FOR 3700 FT; THE ACFT BEGAN A RAPID ROLL TO THE L; WHICH I WAS ABLE TO STOP AT 35 DEG OF BANK AND RETURN TO LEVEL FLT. I ALSO FELT A SEVERE YAW MOTION AND IMMEDIATELY SUSPECTED THE YAW DAMPER; WHICH WAS CONFIRMED BY AN INTERMITTENT ILLUMINATION OF THE 'YAW DAMPER OFF' ANNUNCIATOR. WE IMMEDIATELY SWITCHED THE YAW DAMPER OFF; MOVED THE RUDDER PWR LEVER TO MANUAL; DSNDED TO (YAW DAMPER OFF) MAX ALT; AND CONTINUED TO DEST UNEVENTFULLY. THE NEXT MORNING I FOUND OUT THAT TECHNICAL SVCS DISCOVERED A BAD YAW RATE SENSOR (GYROSCOPE) AND REPLACED IT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THE MD-80 WEIGHED; HE THOUGHT; ABOUT 117000 LBS HE CALCULATED THE MAX GROSS WT AT FL370 TO BE 118000 THAT DAY. HE SAID HE THOUGHT IT WAS LUCKY THE AUTOPLT HAD TRIPPED OFF AND HE WAS HAND FLYING THE AIRPLANE WHEN THE YAW RATE SENSOR ACTED UP AND THE AIRPLANE STARTED TO ROLL BECAUSE HE COULD BETTER CTL THE AIRPLANE AND COUNTERACT THE ROLL AND DUTCH ROLL TENDENCIES.