What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Timeline of events: 11/19 ~2145 EST: aircraft non-revenued/repositioned from ric to iad. During approach/flare, crew reported they pulled yokes back without elevator movement. After landing, the crew reported the issue to the NTSB. Shortly after landing, a privacy data omitted mechanic arrived at the aircraft, performed an elevator disconnect, and isolated the issue down to the captain's side. 11/19 ~2200 EST: aircraft quarantined per NTSB. 11/20 ~ 1100 EST: aircraft released from quarantine by NTSB. The mechanic removed the flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and was sent to privacy data omitted main maintenance base, in stl, to be downloaded and quarantined. The mechanic started troubleshooting the system. The yoke would move full travel forward with no defects. Yoke pulling back restricted movement, only about ¼ of normal travel. The mechanic started inspecting captains yoke along the quadrant in the forward avionics bay, no defects noted. Inspected the aft equipment bay cable runs and components, no defects noted. The mechanic then performed all visual inspections he could without another mechanic so he waited for another mechanic to arrive. 11/21: the mechanic and the additional mechanic continued inspections. Opened up panels in the tail and found the elevator autopilot servo cable severed near the autopilot servo and mount. Inspected servo and found servo clutch seized. Went airacraft on ground (aog) for parts @ 1430 EST: elevator servo motor, elevator servo cables, elevator servo mount. 11/22 ~1230 EST: all aog parts received. Both mechanics began install. 11/23: parts installed and down to cable tension checks. Released aircraft from maintenance for check flight 11/24 1400 EST: crew performed check flight and flight checked good with no defects noted. Aircraft released for flight. No known further issues have been present since the replacement of parts and aircraft release for flight.
As the FAA filed it
TIMELINE OF EVENTS: 11/19 ~2145 EST: AIRCRAFT NON-REVENUED/REPOSITIONED FROM RIC TO IAD. DURING APPROACH/FLARE, CREW REPORTED THEY PULLED YOKES BACK WITHOUT ELEVATOR MOVEMENT. AFTER LANDING, THE CREW REPORTED THE ISSUE TO THE NTSB. SHORTLY AFTER LANDING, A ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ MECHANIC ARRIVED AT THE AIRCRAFT, PERFORMED AN ELEVATOR DISCONNECT, AND ISOLATED THE ISSUE DOWN TO THE CAPTAIN'S SIDE. 11/19 ~2200 EST: AIRCRAFT QUARANTINED PER NTSB. 11/20 ~ 1100 EST: AIRCRAFT RELEASED FROM QUARANTINE BY NTSB. THE MECHANIC REMOVED THE FLIGHT DATA RECORDER (FDR) AND THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER (CVR) AND WAS SENT TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ MAIN MAINTENANCE BASE, IN STL, TO BE DOWNLOADED AND QUARANTINED. THE MECHANIC STARTED TROUBLESHOOTING THE SYSTEM. THE YOKE WOULD MOVE FULL TRAVEL FORWARD WITH NO DEFECTS. YOKE PULLING BACK RESTRICTED MOVEMENT, ONLY ABOUT ¼ OF NORMAL TRAVEL. THE MECHANIC STARTED INSPECTING CAPTAINS YOKE ALONG THE QUADRANT IN THE FORWARD AVIONICS BAY, NO DEFECTS NOTED. INSPECTED THE AFT EQUIPMENT BAY CABLE RUNS AND COMPONENTS, NO DEFECTS NOTED. THE MECHANIC THEN PERFORMED ALL VISUAL INSPECTIONS HE COULD WITHOUT ANOTHER MECHANIC SO HE WAITED FOR ANOTHER MECHANIC TO ARRIVE. 11/21: THE MECHANIC AND THE ADDITIONAL MECHANIC CONTINUED INSPECTIONS. OPENED UP PANELS IN THE TAIL AND FOUND THE ELEVATOR AUTOPILOT SERVO CABLE SEVERED NEAR THE AUTOPILOT SERVO AND MOUNT. INSPECTED SERVO AND FOUND SERVO CLUTCH SEIZED. WENT AIRACRAFT ON GROUND (AOG) FOR PARTS @ 1430 EST: ELEVATOR SERVO MOTOR, ELEVATOR SERVO CABLES, ELEVATOR SERVO MOUNT. 11/22 ~1230 EST: ALL AOG PARTS RECEIVED. BOTH MECHANICS BEGAN INSTALL. 11/23: PARTS INSTALLED AND DOWN TO CABLE TENSION CHECKS. RELEASED AIRCRAFT FROM MAINTENANCE FOR CHECK FLIGHT 11/24 1400 EST: CREW PERFORMED CHECK FLIGHT AND FLIGHT CHECKED GOOD WITH NO DEFECTS NOTED. AIRCRAFT RELEASED FOR FLIGHT. NO KNOWN FURTHER ISSUES HAVE BEEN PRESENT SINCE THE REPLACEMENT OF PARTS AND AIRCRAFT RELEASE FOR FLIGHT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.