 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
The pilot of a piper PA-46 found that the elevator was very stiff to operate and got stiffer during flight.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1422223 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201702 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | IMC |
| Light | Dawn |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | PA-46 Malibu Meridian |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | Direct |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Elevator ControlSystem |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Flight Instructor |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 75 Flight Crew Total 27000 Flight Crew Type 225 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical |
Narrative:
The aircraft had been flown 2 days prior with no problems; in fact the auto pilot was working well after work by the avionics shop. Before takeoff I noted the controls were stiff but usable. It was about 5 degrees outside and the plane had been cold soaked. I figured once the cabin heated up things would be normal. About 10 minutes into the flight the elevator control became very stiff; making the plane harder to control. As time went on it got worse. At this point I was very close to ZZZ and figured the best thing was to get it on the ground. After landing I showed the owner the problem; called [maintenance] and was advised to get the plane in a warm hangar before the mechanic arrived from ZZZ1. About 30 to 40 minutes after that; the elevator became impossible to move from the outside.talking with piper they suggested the problem might be a plastic roller within the control column.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: The pilot of a Piper PA-46 found that the elevator was very stiff to operate and got stiffer during flight.
Narrative: The Aircraft had been flown 2 days prior with no problems; in fact the auto pilot was working well after work by the avionics shop. Before takeoff I noted the controls were stiff but usable. It was about 5 degrees outside and the plane had been cold soaked. I figured once the cabin heated up things would be normal. About 10 minutes into the flight the elevator control became very stiff; making the plane harder to control. As time went on it got worse. At this point I was very close to ZZZ and figured the best thing was to get it on the ground. After landing I showed the owner the problem; called [maintenance] and was advised to get the plane in a warm hangar before the mechanic arrived from ZZZ1. About 30 to 40 minutes after that; the elevator became impossible to move from the outside.Talking with Piper they suggested the problem might be a plastic roller within the control column.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.