A CESSNA-402C ACFT ABORTED TAKE-OFF DUE TO RUDDER NOT RESPONDING.

Narrative

AFTER DOING WHAT SEEMED TO BE A NORMAL START UP; TAXI TO THE ACTIVE RWY; AND CHKLIST; I WAS CLRED FOR TKOF. AS THE GND ROLL PROCEEDED I NOTICED THAT THE RUDDER WAS NOT RESPONDING AS IT SHOULD; BUT AS IF IT WAS STILL LOCKED BY THE TAIL LOCK WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE RELEASED WHEN I PULLED BACK ON THE YOKE DURING THE FLT CTL CHK. I ABORTED THE TKOF; AND UPON EXITING THE RWY I AGAIN PULLED THE YOKE AFT TO DETERMINE IF IT WAS THE CAUSE OF THE PROB. THE RUDDER THEN FELT NORMAL IN MOTION AND IN FEEL. THINKING IT WAS A STICKY RUDDER THAT NOW HAD BEEN FREED; I CONTINUED WITH THE FLT THROUGH ZZZ1 AND TO THE FINAL DEST ZZZ2 WITHOUT ANY FURTHER PROBS. AFTER ARRIVING AT ZZZ2 I REQUESTED A MECH TO LUBE THE RUDDER LOCK. FURTHER INSPECTION BY THE MECH REVEALED THAT A CLICKING NOISE WAS PRESENT WHEN MOVING THE ELEVATOR. THE ACFT WAS WRITTEN UP AND GNDED UNTIL REPAIRED. IN HINDSIGHT; I SHOULD HAVE HAD THE TAIL INSPECTED BY A MECH AT THE FIRST SIGN OF A PROB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS TYPE OF AIRCRAFT HAS A TAIL GUST-LOCK THAT IS RELEASED WHEN THE YOKE IS PULLED AFT AT LEAST EIGHT TO TEN INCHES. THE LOCK; WHICH IS ACTUALLY A LOCK PIN; HAS TO BE MANUALLY ENGAGED AT THE TAIL SECTION USING A HANDLE LOCATED IN THE TAIL AREA. THERE IS NORMALLY A POP SOUND WHEN THE PIN IS RELEASED VIA THE YOKE PULL BACK. STEERING IS DIFFICULT WITH THE GUST LOCK PIN ENGAGED. DAMAGE TO THE LOCK PIN CAN OCCUR IF EXCESSIVE FORCE IS APPLIED TO THE RUDDER PEDALS WHILE THE LOCK PIN IS STILL ENGAGED. REPORTER ALSO ADDS HE DOES NOT KNOW THE MAINTENANCE OUTCOME OF HIS AIRCRAFT WRITE-UP; BUT SUSPECTS THE CLICKING SOUND WHEN THE ELEVATORS ARE MOVED WITH THE YOKE COMES FROM THE SPRING LOADED GUST LOCK PIN MOVEMENT.