AN EMBRAER 145 ON TKOF CLB AT 400 FT AGL DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO HORIZONTAL STABILIZER TRIM FAILURE.

Narrative

DEPARTED ZZZ AT A RELATING LIGHT WT (36904 LBS VS 45414 LBS MAX). SHORTLY AFTER TKOF; RAISED LNDG GEAR; THEN BEGAN TRIMMING AS VISUAL. ACFT BEGAN TO FEEL OUT OF TRIM NOSE UP. I RELEASED PITCH TRIM THUMB SWITCHES ON YOKE AND RESELECTED TRIM IN CASE THE 3 SEC TIMER HAD RESET THE TRIM. BY THIS TIME; I WAS HOLDING THE YOKE FULL FORWARD TO THE STOPS WITH BOTH HANDS NEEDED TO HOLD IT THERE YET NOSE WAS STILL RISING. CALLED FOR FO TO REDUCE THRUST AND DE-SELECT BOTH TRIM SYSTEMS. WE THEN VERIFIED TRIM WAS NOT MOVING. I ASKED FO RE-SELECT BACK-UP TRIM SYSTEM. ROLLED ACFT INTO LEFT BANK IN AN ATTEMPT TO LOWER NOSE. FO ACTIVATED BACK-UP PITCH TRIM SWITCHES ON CENTRE PEDESTAL. RECOVERED CTL OF ACFT; DECLARED EMER; LANDED ON RWY 8R AT ZZZ USING BACK-UP TRIM SYSTEM. THERE WAS A TECHNICAL BULLETIN ABOUT THIS PROB WITH THIS AIRPLANE BUT I DO NOT BELIEVE IT ADEQUATELY PREPARED US FOR THE SIT; OR WAYS TO PREVENT THIS PROB. I BELIEVE THAT IT SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED IN TRAINING THAT THE PLT FLYING SHOULD VERIFY ON EICAS THAT TRIM IS MOVING AT THE FIRST ACTIVATION OF PRIMARY TRIM SYSTEM AFTER TKOF AND WHAT STEPS SHOULD BE TAKEN (GO IMMEDIATELY TO BACK-UP TRIM AND/OR REDUCE THRUST IMMEDIATELY) TO MAINTAIN CTL OF ACFT.CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE FAILURE OF THE STABILIZER TRIM WAS CAUSED BY THE MAIN ELECTRIC TRIM ACTUATOR WHICH HAS INADEQUATE POWER TO MOVE THE STABILIZER AIRLOAD. THE RPTR SAID THE AIRPLANE WAS GND CHECKED OK BY MAINT ON THE RETURN TO THE FIELD. THE RPTR STATED HE FLEW THE AIRPLANE THE NEXT DAY WITH NO PROBS. THE RPTR SAID THIS IS A RECURRENT RPOB IN THIS FLEET AS FOUR INCIDENTS OF THIS FAILURE ARE KNOWN AND ALWAYS ON TKOF CLB. THE RPTR STATED THE COMPANY HAS ISSUED A BULLETIN WITH NO PROCS BUT ADVISES TRIMMING TO BE ACCOMPLISHED PRIOR TO 160 KTS AND HAS PLACARDED THE COCKPIT THE SAME. THE RPTR SAID THE BULLETIN MAKES NO REFERENCE AS TO THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE AND IS OBVIOUSLY WRITTEN BY A LAWYER. THE RPTR STATED WITH THE STABILIZER TRIMMED NOSE UP AND FAILING IN THIS POS THE NEUTRAL SHIFT SENSING WILL LIMIT THE ELEVATOR WINDOW OF CTL. THE RPTR STATED IN THESE FAILURES NO EICAS WARNINGS ARE ANNUNCIATED IN THESE FAILURES. THE RPTR STATED THESE FAILURES SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE SIMULATOR TRAINING. THE RPTR SAID IN THIS INCIDENT THE AIRPLANE WAS LIGHTLY LOADED AND WENT THROUGH 160 KTS 4 TO 6 SECS AFTER ROTATION. CALLBACK FROM ACN 535010: THE RPTR STATED THIS IS A FLEET WIDE PROB AND THE COMPANY AND THE MANUFACTURER BELIEVE THAT TRIMMING PRIOR TO 160 KNOTS AFTER TKOF WILL CORRECT THE PROB. THE RPTR SAID ANY TRIMMING OVER 160 KNOTS THE AIRLOADS ARE TOO GREAT FOR THE MAIN ELECTRIC ACTUATOR TO HANDLE.