Jammed Elevator

Dale wrote:
I decided to try and force the glove out by moving the
elevator. I first pulled on the yoke and was able to get almost full up
elevator but it was still not free and took a great deal of effort to
move the yoke....


One risk of hauling skydivers is that a jumper may have a parachute open
on the step which can lead to the tail being damaged or removed from the
airplane. Because of this I've thought about what I would do if that
should occur. I've even practiced flying with the yoke held in one
position to simulate a jammed elevator. Today it paid off.


I don't mean to argue with success, but your narrative does leave
me with a couple of questions. As I understand the situation, you've
managed to achieve a stable descent with your elevator stuck in a
pitch-up position. At this point I would be concerned that any attempts
to pull the yoke back would result in the elevator being stuck in an
even greater pitch-up position.

How difficult would it have been to land the aircraft using only
power, rudder, and ailerons?

Did you have some reason, not given in the narrative, for believing
that you would be able to return the elevator to at least its current
position?

Did the fact that you were ready (and able) to bail out if necessary
influence your decision-making? (In other words, would you have done
the same things if you knew you had to live [or die] with any
irreversible negative changes you imposed on the situation?)

Rich Lemert

In article k.net,
Rich Lemert wrote:



How difficult would it have been to land the aircraft using only
power, rudder, and ailerons?

It would have been possible I think. But to make that landing I would
want a long runway and some Crash/Fire/Rescue resources. The closest
place is about 30nm away.

Did you have some reason, not given in the narrative, for believing
that you would be able to return the elevator to at least its current
position?

Yes. I was able early on to push the yoke forward slightly, although it
took a great deal of pressure to do so. I knew there was some risk of
making the situation worse, but felt that I would be able to get the
elevator back to a workable position if need be.

Did the fact that you were ready (and able) to bail out if necessary
influence your decision-making? (In other words, would you have done
the same things if you knew you had to live [or die] with any
irreversible negative changes you imposed on the situation?)

I can't honestly answer that. I have made over 700 jumps so the thought
of leaving the airplane isn't a big deal. Having the parachute does
open some options, or at least reduce the risk of death.

--
Dale L. Falk

There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing around with airplanes.

http://home.gci.net/~sncdfalk/flying.html