2011-05 · NASA ASRS report 951395
A CE560XL pitched 20 degrees nose up when flaps 7 was selected with full nose down trim set. After the aircraft stabilized ATC declared an emergency and the flight diverted to a nearby airport with a long runway.
On arrival to to our destination at 4000' MSL; 180 KTS and approximately 10 to 15 seconds after selecting flaps 7 the auto pilot disconnected and the airplane pitched nose up 20 degrees. The flying pilot (Captain) immediately took control of the airplane and stabilized the aircraft at level flight; 4000 FT at 180KTS. The Captain noticed that the trim wheel was full down. After stabilizing the aircraft and ensure full control; ATC was notified. ATC gave us a different altitude and heading in order to continue the traffic flow into our destination and give us an opportunity to run checklists and decide the best course of action. We decided to maintain the current configuration; since the airplane was stable and under control; and look for a long runway to land. A nearby international airport was selected. The airplane was landed flaps 7 on runway 4R without incident. During the post flight nothing out of place was noted. Stab was on proper position; nose down since we elected to leave the flaps 7 after shut down. NOTE: ATC declared an emergency for us. Company was notified.
The Reporter stated that his Company replied to his report with the conclusion that the trim motor was binding and the trim cable at some point jumped or skipped on the track. The autopilot commanded the elevator nose down to counter act the trim nose up input so at some point the autopilot ran out of authority; disconnected and the pitch up resulted. Both pilot's inputs on the yoke were required to counter the extreme nose up command force.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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