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Elevator scraping sounds


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Took the afternoon off (after a crappy morning) to try and enjoy what may be the last of the nice days for a while. Preflight done, climb in and once over the controls before startup, pull back on the elevator and get this hideous metal on metal scraping sound and could really feel it in the yoke. Played with trim and flaps to no avail.

Finally gave up, scratch flying today. Not sure whats was going on, nothing like this when i buttoned up the hangar last weekend. Grabbed my mechanic, James, and said lets go look at it. He listened to it for a while, pinpointed where it was coming from and started peeling back panels. (Some of u know where this is going).

After about the 6th screw. He said try it now.... free and clear. 1 long screw was hitting the rod. I should have known.

What we both cant figure out is how this just now showed up. I put all those damn screws in there myself last December during annual.

James double checked the rod to make sure there was no damage. Buttoned it back up and took her an hour joy ride, worked on different power settings, etc. Came back to do some t and gs, no wind at all which is unusual in Nebraska, and hell if i didn't make the best landing ive ever made in any plane. Didnt even hear the tires chirp over the stall horn. (Some of my worst landings are when theres no wind). I quit there. What started out as a crappy day, and then the awful (how much is this gonna cost me) noise, i left the airport grinning from ear to ear.

My question to the group, that I cant figure out is: What changed to make that scew hit so bad after a year of service. Would cooler temps move metal around that much? And why didnt it happen last winter?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

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Jan,

got a photo of it?  We can do some really good problem solving with just a photo or two...

The way some things move around back there is a concert of mechanical parts.  The trim could be set in a different place that allows for the unique interference in the other areas... (just guessing)

Best regards,

-a-

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On 12/2/2016 at 10:25 PM, Chupacabra said:

One of those unexplainable oddities of life. Same phenomena as the sock that goes missing from the dryer.

Oddly enough, this phenomenon only happens to the wife....repeatedly.

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I had the same thing about 4 years ago, not that I heard a sound, but it was found at annual inspection. I was out of town and did not see it, but they replaced a control rod going to the elevator. I used to have a picture from him on my old phone and it showed the control rod with erosion from the screw nearly all the way thru the thick ness of the metal. He said it was from a screw in the belly that was too long. Sounds just like what you describe. 

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