AN A320 CREW REPORTS A GRADUAL PITCH DOWN MOVEMENT UNLESS CONSTANT SIDESTICK UP PRESSURE IS MAINTAINED. #1 AND #2 ELEVATOR AND AILERON (ELAC) COMPUTERS WERE REPLACED.

Narrative

SOON AFTER TKOF FROM ZZZ; CAPT FLYING WITH AUTOPLT; IT BECAME APPARENT THAT; IF THE SIDESTICK WAS RELEASED; THE ACFT WOULD GRADUALLY NOSE OVER INTO AN INCREASING ANGLE OF DSCNT. ONCE IN CRUISE AND STABILIZED; THE FLT CREW DETERMINED THAT ABOUT 1.5 CM OF BACKSTICK PRESSURE WAS REQUIRED TO KEEP THE SHIP LEVEL; OR IN WHATEVER ANGLE OF CLB OR DSCNT WAS REQUIRED. IF THE SIDESTICK WAS RELEASED; THE AUTOTRIM WOULD COMMENCE TRIMMING NOSE DOWN SLOWLY. WITH EITHER AUTOPLT ON; THE ACFT WOULD MAINTAIN THE CORRECT ATTITUDE. VARIOUS TESTS WERE PERFORMED WHICH INDICATED THAT BOTH SIDESTICKS WERE AFFECTED; AND AUTOTHRUST OR FLT/DIRECTOR ON OR OFF HAD NO EFFECT. MAINT CTL AND DISPATCH WERE CONTACTED VIA RADIO AND THE SIT DISCUSSED. CONJECTURE WAS THAT ELAC #2 MIGHT BE THE PROB BUT IT WAS AGREED NOT TO CYCLE FLT CTL COMPUTERS. ALSO; SINCE THERE WERE NO ECAM INDICATIONS OR FLT CTL DIFFICULTIES OF A MECHANICAL NATURE; AND THE AUTOPLTS KEPT THINGS STABLE; IT WAS AGREED THAT A DIVERT WAS NOT WARRANTED. THE CREW REVIEWED THE APPLICABLE SYS IN VOLUME 1 OF THE FCOM AND CONDUCTED A PLAN OF ACTION IN THE EVENT THE SIT DETERIORATED. THE FLT COULD HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED AT FL390; BUT THE CREW ELECTED TO CRUISE AT FL350 TO PROVIDE GREATER MANEUVERING MARGINS IF NECESSARY. ON ARR IN ZZZ1; A FLAPS 3 DEGS NORMAL LNDG WAS SELECTED TO ENSURE SUFFICIENT NOSE UP AUTH IN THE FLARE. THE AUTOPLT AND AUTOTHRUST WERE DISCONNECTED AT 8000 FT TO GET A GOOD FEEL FOR CTLING THE SHIP AND THE ARR AND LNDG WERE MANUALLY FLOWN TO AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. NO EMER WAS DECLARED AS FULL CTL WAS MAINTAINED AT ALL TIMES. GREAT INPUT AND TEAMWORK FROM THE FO CONTRIBUTED TO A SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE MAINT FINDINGS AND FIX WAS REPLACEMENT OF THE #1 AND #2 ELEVATOR AND AILERON COMPUTERS (ELAC) AND RERIGGING THE ELEVATOR AND STABILIZER CTLS. THE RPTR SAID IT WAS DISAPPOINTING THAT IT TOOK SO LONG TO DISCOVER THIS FAULT BUT THIS AIRPLANE IS SO SELDOM HAND FLOWN.