Narrative:

An elderly friend; mr X; owns a C303 aircraft. The airplane sustained damage to its tail empennage in a hangar collapse at the ZZZ airpark during hurricane wilma. There being no repair facility at this airport; mr X hired an aircraft mechanic; mr Y; to repair the aircraft in mr Y's hangar. Mr Y also agreed to perform an annual inspection of the aircraft. On or about nov/fri/06; mr X called to say the airplane was fixed and he wanted me to give him instruction in the airport traffic pattern. During our preflight inspection of the aircraft; I noticed fasteners missing on an improperly installed tail cone fairing which was rubbing on and interfering with the rudder. The master warning panel was also inoperative and the electric trim switch rotated the elevator trim wheel in what appeared to be reverse rotation. I asked mr Y if I could look at the log entries and confirm that the annual inspection had been accomplished. Mr Y replied that the airplane would have to be test flown before the annual could be 'signed off.' I replied that the annual inspection must be accomplished and signed before the aircraft is operated. He told mr X to come back in a couple of days and he would have 'it' taken care of. On nov/tue/06; we met again at mr Y's hangar and I observed the electric trim switch operating in reverse motion as before. An annual inspection had been signed in the maintenance record by an ia who was at the hangar at this time; but whose name I do not remember. I asked this person about the electric trim problem and he and mr Y both said that it was working properly and that I was probably not familiar with the C303 airplane. Having been told by an ia that the airplane was airworthy; mr X decided it be flown in the traffic pattern. I observed the elevator trim wheel indicator in the takeoff position prior to the takeoff roll. At rotation however; the airplane pitched up violently with a force that required the efforts of both mr X and I to prevent the airplane from stalling. Rotating the elevator trim wheel forward made the problem worse. A determination was made that the elevator trim system was reversed and acted accordingly. The plane was landed immediately without further incident. Back at the hangar; I explained to mr Y what happened and he said he would check it out and contact mr X after he had looked at it. Mr X called me on nov/thu/06; and asked me to meet him at the airport to again fly with him. At the airport I questioned mr Y about what problem he found with the trim system. He replied that he found a problem with a corroded cannon plug. I asked him how an electrical cannon plug could affect a mechanical trim system. At that point; and with key in hand; he locked the cabin door and stated 'there would be no more test flts until mr X paid up.' I called the local FSDO office on nov/fri/06; to ask if the FAA could help mr X in some way. The 2 inspectors on the phone said their issue was with the PF the airplane 'knowing' it was defective. At this point I had the feeling they were interested only in violating the pilot; so I stopped my conversation with them. I believe this spirit which pervades the FAA is a contributing factor to aviation's safety problems. My hope is that the aviation safety reporting system will bring some change in the future.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CESSNA 303 ON TKOF PITCHED UP VIOLENTLY AND REQUIRED 2 PERSONS TO PREVENT STALLING. ELEVATOR TRIM WAS RPTED AND WORKED ON TWICE PRIOR TO FLT. THIS TECHNICIAN ALSO PERFORMED AN ANNUAL INSPECTION PRIOR TO FLT.

Narrative: AN ELDERLY FRIEND; MR X; OWNS A C303 ACFT. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO ITS TAIL EMPENNAGE IN A HANGAR COLLAPSE AT THE ZZZ AIRPARK DURING HURRICANE WILMA. THERE BEING NO REPAIR FACILITY AT THIS ARPT; MR X HIRED AN ACFT MECH; MR Y; TO REPAIR THE ACFT IN MR Y'S HANGAR. MR Y ALSO AGREED TO PERFORM AN ANNUAL INSPECTION OF THE ACFT. ON OR ABOUT NOV/FRI/06; MR X CALLED TO SAY THE AIRPLANE WAS FIXED AND HE WANTED ME TO GIVE HIM INSTRUCTION IN THE ARPT TFC PATTERN. DURING OUR PREFLT INSPECTION OF THE ACFT; I NOTICED FASTENERS MISSING ON AN IMPROPERLY INSTALLED TAIL CONE FAIRING WHICH WAS RUBBING ON AND INTERFERING WITH THE RUDDER. THE MASTER WARNING PANEL WAS ALSO INOP AND THE ELECTRIC TRIM SWITCH ROTATED THE ELEVATOR TRIM WHEEL IN WHAT APPEARED TO BE REVERSE ROTATION. I ASKED MR Y IF I COULD LOOK AT THE LOG ENTRIES AND CONFIRM THAT THE ANNUAL INSPECTION HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. MR Y REPLIED THAT THE AIRPLANE WOULD HAVE TO BE TEST FLOWN BEFORE THE ANNUAL COULD BE 'SIGNED OFF.' I REPLIED THAT THE ANNUAL INSPECTION MUST BE ACCOMPLISHED AND SIGNED BEFORE THE ACFT IS OPERATED. HE TOLD MR X TO COME BACK IN A COUPLE OF DAYS AND HE WOULD HAVE 'IT' TAKEN CARE OF. ON NOV/TUE/06; WE MET AGAIN AT MR Y'S HANGAR AND I OBSERVED THE ELECTRIC TRIM SWITCH OPERATING IN REVERSE MOTION AS BEFORE. AN ANNUAL INSPECTION HAD BEEN SIGNED IN THE MAINT RECORD BY AN IA WHO WAS AT THE HANGAR AT THIS TIME; BUT WHOSE NAME I DO NOT REMEMBER. I ASKED THIS PERSON ABOUT THE ELECTRIC TRIM PROB AND HE AND MR Y BOTH SAID THAT IT WAS WORKING PROPERLY AND THAT I WAS PROBABLY NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE C303 AIRPLANE. HAVING BEEN TOLD BY AN IA THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS AIRWORTHY; MR X DECIDED IT BE FLOWN IN THE TFC PATTERN. I OBSERVED THE ELEVATOR TRIM WHEEL INDICATOR IN THE TKOF POS PRIOR TO THE TKOF ROLL. AT ROTATION HOWEVER; THE AIRPLANE PITCHED UP VIOLENTLY WITH A FORCE THAT REQUIRED THE EFFORTS OF BOTH MR X AND I TO PREVENT THE AIRPLANE FROM STALLING. ROTATING THE ELEVATOR TRIM WHEEL FORWARD MADE THE PROB WORSE. A DETERMINATION WAS MADE THAT THE ELEVATOR TRIM SYS WAS REVERSED AND ACTED ACCORDINGLY. THE PLANE WAS LANDED IMMEDIATELY WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. BACK AT THE HANGAR; I EXPLAINED TO MR Y WHAT HAPPENED AND HE SAID HE WOULD CHK IT OUT AND CONTACT MR X AFTER HE HAD LOOKED AT IT. MR X CALLED ME ON NOV/THU/06; AND ASKED ME TO MEET HIM AT THE ARPT TO AGAIN FLY WITH HIM. AT THE ARPT I QUESTIONED MR Y ABOUT WHAT PROB HE FOUND WITH THE TRIM SYS. HE REPLIED THAT HE FOUND A PROB WITH A CORRODED CANNON PLUG. I ASKED HIM HOW AN ELECTRICAL CANNON PLUG COULD AFFECT A MECHANICAL TRIM SYS. AT THAT POINT; AND WITH KEY IN HAND; HE LOCKED THE CABIN DOOR AND STATED 'THERE WOULD BE NO MORE TEST FLTS UNTIL MR X PAID UP.' I CALLED THE LCL FSDO OFFICE ON NOV/FRI/06; TO ASK IF THE FAA COULD HELP MR X IN SOME WAY. THE 2 INSPECTORS ON THE PHONE SAID THEIR ISSUE WAS WITH THE PF THE AIRPLANE 'KNOWING' IT WAS DEFECTIVE. AT THIS POINT I HAD THE FEELING THEY WERE INTERESTED ONLY IN VIOLATING THE PLT; SO I STOPPED MY CONVERSATION WITH THEM. I BELIEVE THIS SPIRIT WHICH PERVADES THE FAA IS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO AVIATION'S SAFETY PROBS. MY HOPE IS THAT THE AVIATION SAFETY RPTING SYS WILL BRING SOME CHANGE IN THE FUTURE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.