An MD80 on autoland set up and everything normal until 15 ft above ground the autoplt pitched down a...

Attributes
ACN	600606
Time
Date	200311
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 15
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : zzz.tracon
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	other
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
ASRS Report	600606
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other anomaly other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : autoplts disconnected other flight crewa other flight crewb
Resolutory Action	aircraft : automation overrode flight crew
Consequence	other other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Aircraft
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

Aircraft required autoland for currency. Autoland was set up for runway 17C ZZZ. All was normal until about 15 ft AGL. The autoplt pitched down and then immediately disconnected. I made an attempt at a flare because we were going to touch down and surprisingly it was a decent landing. When the pitch down occurred it yanked the yoke out of my hand. The pitch down and the disconnect happened so quickly, not more than a second, that the aircraft did not physically change attitude much. We had accomplished the ground check and all was as it should be on final. There were no other aircraft on the runway or near the runway. At the gate maintenance run a check on the maintenance test for faults and said some 'a' servo on the elevator had failed. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated when the aircraft pitched down it took the yoke out of his hands and thrust it 9 inches forward. The reporter said the pitch forward, autoplt disconnect and manual flare took a second. The reporter stated the airplane did not react as fast as the corrective action and a pretty fair landing was made. The reporter said maintenance found through the autoplt self test the elevator 'a' servo faulted.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD80 ON AUTOLAND SET UP AND EVERYTHING NORMAL UNTIL 15 FT ABOVE GND THE AUTOPLT PITCHED DOWN AND DISCONNECTED. CAPT EXECUTED FLARE FOR LNDG.

Narrative: ACFT REQUIRED AUTOLAND FOR CURRENCY. AUTOLAND WAS SET UP FOR RWY 17C ZZZ. ALL WAS NORMAL UNTIL ABOUT 15 FT AGL. THE AUTOPLT PITCHED DOWN AND THEN IMMEDIATELY DISCONNECTED. I MADE AN ATTEMPT AT A FLARE BECAUSE WE WERE GOING TO TOUCH DOWN AND SURPRISINGLY IT WAS A DECENT LNDG. WHEN THE PITCH DOWN OCCURRED IT YANKED THE YOKE OUT OF MY HAND. THE PITCH DOWN AND THE DISCONNECT HAPPENED SO QUICKLY, NOT MORE THAN A SECOND, THAT THE ACFT DID NOT PHYSICALLY CHANGE ATTITUDE MUCH. WE HAD ACCOMPLISHED THE GND CHK AND ALL WAS AS IT SHOULD BE ON FINAL. THERE WERE NO OTHER ACFT ON THE RWY OR NEAR THE RWY. AT THE GATE MAINT RUN A CHK ON THE MAINT TEST FOR FAULTS AND SAID SOME 'A' SERVO ON THE ELEVATOR HAD FAILED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED WHEN THE ACFT PITCHED DOWN IT TOOK THE YOKE OUT OF HIS HANDS AND THRUST IT 9 INCHES FORWARD. THE RPTR SAID THE PITCH FORWARD, AUTOPLT DISCONNECT AND MANUAL FLARE TOOK A SECOND. THE RPTR STATED THE AIRPLANE DID NOT REACT AS FAST AS THE CORRECTIVE ACTION AND A PRETTY FAIR LNDG WAS MADE. THE RPTR SAID MAINT FOUND THROUGH THE AUTOPLT SELF TEST THE ELEVATOR 'A' SERVO FAULTED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.

An MD80 on autoland set up and everything normal until 15 ft above ground the autoplt pitched down and disconnected. Captain executed flare for landing.