20260216001539I

Incident · No damage

FAA incident report · Textron 208B · Anchorage, AK · February 16, 2026

Date
February 16, 2026 · 07:56 local
Place
Anchorage, AK
Airport
Ted Stevens Anchorage International
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
ENHA
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N502GV
Reported as
Textron 208B
People aboard
10
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
8,440 total

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The PIC observed that the aircraft was climbing at an excessive rate and the PIC attempted to arrest the climb rate by rolling in electric down trim which had no effect. The PIC did not feel the trim wheel rotating against the pic's right knee as normal, indicating the trim was not functioning correctly and the PIC confirmed the autopilot was, in fact, off by pressing the red autopilot disconnect button. The PIC then attempted manual trim, to trim nose down. The manual trim control wheel failed to rotate. The trim wheel then suddenly jumped violently while the pic's hand was on it. The PIC advised tower that he needed to return to land and was subsequently cleared to land on any runway. The PIC used a combination of flaps and throttle to maintain altitude. Turning the plane around on downwind, aileron controls functioned normally. At this point the PIC realized that the elevator controls also appeared to be locked up and not moveable. The PIC could not move the electric trim, manual trim or the elevator yoke in and out to raise and lower altitude. The landing was controlled almost strictly with power. The PIC managed to touch down in a main wheel, landing configuration, and was unable to lower the nosewheel with the yolk, no flaring involved. The aircraft was in a nose high condition equal to that of takeoff. When over the touch down zone of the runway, the PIC closed the throttle landing on the main gear and eventually the nose wheel touched down. While rolling out on the runway, the elevator control yoke was still unavailable. The PIC could not move it in and out, to raise or lower the elevator. After slowing down the aircraft to exit to the taxiway and making the left turn, the elevator became free and could be moved normally and taxied to the gate.

As the FAA filed it

THE PIC OBSERVED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS CLIMBING AT AN EXCESSIVE RATE AND THE PIC ATTEMPTED TO ARREST THE CLIMB RATE BY ROLLING IN ELECTRIC DOWN TRIM WHICH HAD NO EFFECT. THE PIC DID NOT FEEL THE TRIM WHEEL ROTATING AGAINST THE PIC'S RIGHT KNEE AS NORMAL, INDICATING THE TRIM WAS NOT FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY AND THE PIC CONFIRMED THE AUTOPILOT WAS, IN FACT, OFF BY PRESSING THE RED AUTOPILOT DISCONNECT BUTTON. THE PIC THEN ATTEMPTED MANUAL TRIM, TO TRIM NOSE DOWN. THE MANUAL TRIM CONTROL WHEEL FAILED TO ROTATE. THE TRIM WHEEL THEN SUDDENLY JUMPED VIOLENTLY WHILE THE PIC'S HAND WAS ON IT. THE PIC ADVISED TOWER THAT HE NEEDED TO RETURN TO LAND AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY CLEARED TO LAND ON ANY RUNWAY. THE PIC USED A COMBINATION OF FLAPS AND THROTTLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. TURNING THE PLANE AROUND ON DOWNWIND, AILERON CONTROLS FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. AT THIS POINT THE PIC REALIZED THAT THE ELEVATOR CONTROLS ALSO APPEARED TO BE LOCKED UP AND NOT MOVEABLE. THE PIC COULD NOT MOVE THE ELECTRIC TRIM, MANUAL TRIM OR THE ELEVATOR YOKE IN AND OUT TO RAISE AND LOWER ALTITUDE. THE LANDING WAS CONTROLLED ALMOST STRICTLY WITH POWER. THE PIC MANAGED TO TOUCH DOWN IN A MAIN WHEEL, LANDING CONFIGURATION, AND WAS UNABLE TO LOWER THE NOSEWHEEL WITH THE YOLK, NO FLARING INVOLVED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN A NOSE HIGH CONDITION EQUAL TO THAT OF TAKEOFF. WHEN OVER THE TOUCH DOWN ZONE OF THE RUNWAY, THE PIC CLOSED THE THROTTLE LANDING ON THE MAIN GEAR AND EVENTUALLY THE NOSE WHEEL TOUCHED DOWN. WHILE ROLLING OUT ON THE RUNWAY, THE ELEVATOR CONTROL YOKE WAS STILL UNAVAILABLE. THE PIC COULD NOT MOVE IT IN AND OUT, TO RAISE OR LOWER THE ELEVATOR. AFTER SLOWING DOWN THE AIRCRAFT TO EXIT TO THE TAXIWAY AND MAKING THE LEFT TURN, THE ELEVATOR BECAME FREE AND COULD BE MOVED NORMALLY AND TAXIED TO THE GATE.