PLT WAS RECEIVING A PROFICIENCY CHK WHEN ON TKOF; THE PLT NOTICED LACK OF ELEVATOR CTL. REQUESTED EMER LNDG. A SHORTS SC7 WAS DISPATCHED WITH THE ELEVATOR CTL SYS LOCKED IN THE NEUTRAL POS WITH AN UNAUTH TOOL AND NO WARNING FLAG OR WRITE-UP TO REMOVE BEFORE FLT.
Synopsis
PLT WAS RECEIVING A PROFICIENCY CHK WHEN ON TKOF; THE PLT NOTICED LACK OF ELEVATOR CTL. REQUESTED EMER LNDG. A SHORTS SC7 WAS DISPATCHED WITH THE ELEVATOR CTL SYS LOCKED IN THE NEUTRAL POS WITH AN UNAUTH TOOL AND NO WARNING FLAG OR WRITE-UP TO REMOVE BEFORE FLT.
Narrative
CONDUCTING FAR 135 PROFICIENCY CHK. OBSERVED PLT CONDUCT COCKPIT BEFORE TKOF CHKS AND SPECIFICALLY RECALL PLT CHKING AILERONS FOR FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT. PLT INITIATED TKOF ROLL ON RWY 7L AT MKE. ACFT IS EQUIPPED WITH A TILLER FOR NOSEWHEEL STEERING OPERATED WITH THE L HAND. RUDDER BECOMES EFFECTIVE AT APPROX 40 KTS. AT APPROX 40 KTS PLT MOVED HAND FROM TILLER TO CTL WHEEL. IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER; OBSERVED PLT; MOVE HIS R HAND AFT AND UP MOMENTARILY AFTER WHICH HE PLACED HIS R HAND ON THE CTL WHEEL. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE ACFT'S INTERNAL CTL LOCK IS LOCATED IN THE CTR AFT CEILING OF THE COCKPIT. ACFT WAS DEVELOPING NORMAL PWR; ACCELERATING NORMALLY AND MAINTAINING DIRECTIONAL CTL. I RECALL WONDERING WHY HE MOVED HIS HAND AND THAT HIS R HAND SHOULD NOW BE ON THE PWR LEVERS RATHER THAN THE CTL YOKE. NO COM BTWN PIC AND MYSELF WAS MADE DURING THE TKOF ROLL. ACFT APPEARED TO ROTATE NORMALLY AND ESTABLISH A NORMAL CLB. AFTER ACFT MADE TURN TO NW HEADING PIC STATED ELEVATOR CTL VERY STIFF. I QUESTIONED THE PIC AS TO WHAT HE MEANT. HE THEN STATED HE WAS NOT REALLY ABLE TO MOVE THE ELEVATORS. PIC CONTACTED MKE ATCT ADVISED OF CTL PROB AND REQUESTED IMMEDIATE LNDG ON RWY 7L. RWY 7L AT MKE IS APPROX 4000 FT LONG. RWY 7R AT MKE IS APPROX 8000 FT LONG. ADVISED PLT TO REQUEST EMER LNDG ON RWY 7R AND TO REQUEST EMER EQUIP. LNDG CLRNC WAS OBTAINED FOR RWY 7R. PIC ESTABLISHED ACFT ON APPROX 2 MI. ACFT LANDED RWY 7R WITHOUT INCIDENT. NTSB AND FAA OFFICE NOTIFIED. FAA AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTORS RESPONDED IMMEDIATELY. DOM (DIRECTOR OF MAINT) WAS PRESENT. DOM (DIRECTOR OF MAINT) SEEMED TO REALIZE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY THAT TRIM PINS WERE INADVERTENTLY LEFT IN PLACE FROM MAINT CONDUCTED SEVERAL DAYS PRIOR WHEN TRIM WAS RECALIBRATED. INSPECTION OF THE ELEVATOR CONFIRMED DOM'S (DIRECTOR OF MAINT) STATEMENT. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT TRIM PINS ARE NOT VISIBLE ON A NORMAL PLT PREFLT INSPECTION OF THE ACFT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) THE PINS HAD NO FLAGS OR STREAMERS TO ALERT MAINT PERSONNEL THATTHEY ARE STILL IN PLACE. 2) IT WOULD APPEAR THAT MAINT PERSONNEL DID NOT PERFORM A FUNCTIONAL CHK OF THE ELEVATOR CTL BEFORE APPROVING THE ACFT FOR RETURN TO SVC. 3) IT WOULD APPEAR THE PIC DID NOT CHK FOR FREEDOM OF THE ELEVATOR AS REQUIRED BY BEFORE TKOF CHKLISTS (FLT CTLS CHK). 4) I; AS A CHK PLT; DID NOT REALIZE THAT THE PIC HAD NOT CONDUCTED A FULL CHK OF THE FLT CTLS. 5) IT APPEARS THAT PIC RECOGNIZED SOME TYPE OF PROB PRIOR TO ACFT BECOMING AIRBORNE BUT DID NOT ELECT TO ABORT THE TKOF. THIS WAS DISCUSSED WITH PIC SHORTLY AFTER INCIDENT. HE STATED WHEN HE REACHED BACK TO CONFIRM THAT THE CTLS WERE UNLOCKED; HE THOUGHT HE WAS ALREADY AIRBORNE. 6) IN RETROSPECT; I COULD HAVE ASKED THE PLT WHAT HE WAS DOING WHEN HE MOVED HIS R HAND AFT AND UP; HOWEVER THIS WAS AT A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLT AND NOT A GOOD TIME FOR DISCUSSION. THIS FLT WAS CONDUCTED AS A SINGLE PLT OP WITH NO ESTABLISHED CREW COORD PROCS. 7) ALTHOUGH I HAVE CONDUCTED APPROX 8 FLT CHKS IN THE SC7 ACFT OVER A 1 YR PERIOD; I HAVE NO ACTUAL FLT TIME IN THE ACFT AND AM THEREFORE; NOT INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH THE ACFT. GREATER FAMILIARITY WITH THE ACFT MIGHT HAVE ALERTED ME TO A CTL PROB WHEN THE PIC MOVED HIS R HAND. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE PIC CONDUCTED A WALKAROUND CHK BUT THE ELEVATOR LOCK WAS COVERED WITH A PANEL AND COULD NOT BE SEEN. THE RPTR SAID AN AILERON CTL CHK WAS MADE BUT DID NOT SEE THE ELEVATOR CHK ACCOMPLISHED. THE RPTR STATED IT APPEARED SOME ELEVATOR CTL MUST HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE. THE RPTR SAID FLAGS ON THE CORRECT LOCK PINS WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS INCIDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION FROM RPTR OF ACN 385579 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR ADMITS NO PROCS WERE IN PLACE TO PREVENT THE DISPATCH OF AN ACFT WITH CTL LOCKS INSTALLED. THE RPTR SAID THE ACR HAS PROCS NOW IN PLACE TO PREVENT THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT AND ALSO HAS THE CORRECT LOCKS WITH FLAGS. THE RPTR STATED ALL ACR MECHS ARE BEING TRAINED TO FOLLOW THE MAINT MANUAL PROCS WITHRESPECT TO CTL SURFACES.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.