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Epic lt pilot reported the electric trim failed nose down during a post-maintenance flight.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1522379 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201802 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.ARTCC |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Mixed |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Epic LT |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | Direct Visual Approach |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Elevator Trim System |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain Single Pilot Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Instrument |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 24 Flight Crew Total 3400 Flight Crew Type 269 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical |
Narrative:
On a post-maintenance flight; I experienced a electric trim failure. I was in cruise; had been cleared by ATC to descend; and was about to initiate a descent; when I heard the afcs 'trim in motion' aural annunciation. I looked at the afcs control head and confirmed it was reporting an out-of-trim condition. I then checked the trim indicator; which showed a full nose-down trim position. I immediately turned the trim master switch off; grasped the control yoke; braced myself; and pressed the a/P disc button to disconnect the autopilot.the airplane was flyable; but required moderate-to-significant aft pressure on the control yoke to maintain pitch. I grasped the control column with my left hand at the instrument panel to act as a friction lock; which allowed me to avoid getting tired and to use my right hand to fly the airplane; make power adjustments; and manage the avionics.I requested a clearance direct to my home airport with a visual approach. Once cleared for the visual; I carefully reconfigured the airplane for landing; assessing the changes in flight handling characteristics. Slowing and re-configuring the airplane reduced the control forces; making it easier to fly; so I proceeded to land without incident.as a contingency plan; if I was unable to reconfigure the aircraft for a normal landing; requiring a flaps-up (or heaven-forbid gear-up) landing; I was planning to divert to a larger airport nearby that had fire trucks on-field as well as multiple long runways. Fortunately; this contingency plan was not necessary.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Epic LT pilot reported the electric trim failed nose down during a post-maintenance flight.
Narrative: On a post-maintenance flight; I experienced a electric trim failure. I was in cruise; had been cleared by ATC to descend; and was about to initiate a descent; when I heard the AFCS 'Trim in Motion' aural annunciation. I looked at the AFCS control head and confirmed it was reporting an out-of-trim condition. I then checked the trim indicator; which showed a full nose-down trim position. I immediately turned the Trim Master switch OFF; grasped the Control Yoke; braced myself; and pressed the A/P DISC button to disconnect the autopilot.The airplane was flyable; but required moderate-to-significant aft pressure on the control yoke to maintain pitch. I grasped the control column with my left hand at the instrument panel to act as a friction lock; which allowed me to avoid getting tired and to use my right hand to fly the airplane; make power adjustments; and manage the avionics.I requested a clearance direct to my home airport with a visual approach. Once cleared for the visual; I carefully reconfigured the airplane for landing; assessing the changes in flight handling characteristics. Slowing and re-configuring the airplane reduced the control forces; making it easier to fly; so I proceeded to land without incident.As a contingency plan; if I was unable to reconfigure the aircraft for a normal landing; requiring a flaps-up (or heaven-forbid gear-up) landing; I was planning to divert to a larger airport nearby that had fire trucks on-field as well as multiple long runways. Fortunately; this contingency plan was not necessary.
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.