June 13, 201411 yr Author The report indicates that the crew did not perform control surface checks pre-flight. My speculation remains that the elevators failed to respond when they tried to rotate. It was at that point that they intentionally engaged gust lock to force the elevators down and abort the takeoff. The lever was found in the forward (off) position because it was pushed forward by the impact.
June 14, 201411 yr The report indicates that the crew did not perform control surface checks pre-flight. My speculation remains that the elevators failed to respond when they tried to rotate. It was at that point that they intentionally engaged gust lock to force the elevators down and abort the takeoff. The lever was found in the forward (off) position because it was pushed forward by the impact. It appears that the crew's failure to do the flight control check as required in the checklist may have been a fatal mistake. I'm wondering myself if the elevator gust lock latch didn't release when the gust lock lever was released. But, as Bill pointed out, the gust-lock throttle interlock would have prevented moving the throttles to takeoff power had the GL been engaged when taking the runway. The left-seater would also have had no rudder-pedal steering had the GL been engaged...can't imagine taxiing out for takeoff and not noticing that. Honestly, the idea that a crew would intentionally engage the GL during a takeoff is pretty bizarre--it does not move the control surfaces anyway, it only locks them in a preset position. Normal operation entails pulling up the GL lever, which locks into place with a mechanical latch, and the moving the control yoke forward until the gust lock engages. Regards Bob Scott | President and CEO, AVSIM Inc ATP Gulfstream II-III-IV-V Sys1 (MSFS20+24/XPlane12+11): AMD 9800X3D, water 2x240mm, MSI MPG X670E Carbon, 64GB GSkill 6000/30, nVidia RTX4090FE Alienware AW3821DW 38" 21:9 GSync, 2x4TB Crucial T705 PCIe5 + 2x2TB Samsung 990 SSD, EVGA 1000P2 PSU, 12.9" iPad Pro Thrustmaster TCA Boeing Yoke, TCA Airbus Sidestick, Twin TCA Airbus Throttle quads, PFC Cirrus Pedals, Coolermaster HAF932 case Sys2 (P3Dv5/v4): i9-13900KS, water 2x360mm, ASUS Z790 Hero, 32GB GSkill 7800MHz CAS36, ASUS RTX4090 Samsung 55" JS8500 4K TV@60Hz, 3x 2TB WD SN850X 1x 4TB Crucial P3 M.2 NVME SSD, EVGA 1600T2 PSU Fiber link to Yamaha RX-V467 Home Theater Receiver, Polk/Klipsch 6" bookshelf speakers, Polk 12" subwoofer, 12.9" iPad Pro PFC yoke/throttle quad/pedals with custom Hall sensor retrofit, Thermaltake View 71 case, Stream Deck XL button box Sys3 (DCS/P3Dv4/ATS/ETS): AMD 7800X3D, MSI MPG X870E Carbon, Noctua NH-D15S, 64GB GSkill 6000/30, EVGA RTX3090 Alienware AW3420DW 34" 21:9 GSync, Corsair HX1000i PSU, 4TB Crucial T705 PCIe5 + 2TB Samsung 970Evo Plus, TM TCA Officer Pack, Saitek combat pedals, TM Warthog, TM RS300 FF wheel/pedals, Coolermaster HAF XB case
June 14, 201411 yr I reported from the original posting about this that it was a control surface problem - guess I wasn't that far off Rich Sennett
June 15, 201411 yr Moderator Bob, I do believe that they probably did in fact release the gust lock, but failed to verify control surface movements, just assuming that if the mechanical lock was disengaged, everything was actually released... I mean, it's not as though you could accidentally bump it on or off! As you said, it was a fatal mistake; it is simply not enough to "trust," one should always verify... Fr. Bill AOPA Member: 07141481 AARP Member: 3209010556 Avsim Board of Directors | Avsim Forums Moderator
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