To all that fly, or have flown the 1900

[chperplt]

I've noticed over the past two winters that when the temp at altitude gets in the -10 or colder range, the trim wheel becomes very difficult to move manually, with no movement from the electric trim.

I've written airplanes up for this and have been told that the grease on the trim cable has gone away and the metal cable has frozen to the actuator(s). As the temperature warms at lower altitudes, the trim starts to move again.

I've had this problem on many of our aircraft, so it's not an isolated case. I've also had this problem within a week of a trim service.

Has anyone else noticed this or is it limited to our lovely fleet??

 

[Buzo]

Our trim wheels get stiff also. We wrote them and they fixed them. The trim wheel is still stiff around -30 -40 but the electric normally works.

 

[CitationLover]

whats funny is 172's do this also......

 

[Cardinal]

I've noticed the stiffness, and our fleet has had a few instances of the trim rigging freezing entirely at altitude. Brute force and a descent usually fixes it.

Recently a captain complained to maintenance control about a trim wheel that was extremely stiff at any temerature. Mx Control said that it wasn't a problem, it's just that they had run out of the specified grease and were using the wrong type for a little while (!!! It is amazing what they'll confess to, does a certain MD-80 rolling over into the ocean ring any bells?).

 

[WorldSeries]

this happen to me a few times when i flew the 1900. takeoff with a wet runway in the winter climb to very cold air and sometime the trim can became frozen or at least it felt like it since you couldnt move it..then when you descended if unfroze?????? go figure

 

[AceCrackshot]

All the time in Montana...plus I had high speed elevator shimmy in flight...sporty stuff.

Like my friend said, the 1900 fleet is aging both rapidly and en masse. All these problems were there in our C models two years ago, but we had a pretty good relationship with our maint. troops who headed alot of problems off at the pass. However, we probably didn't do too many favors for everyone else by not reporting what are (in hindsight) airframe specific issues.

 

[NuGuy]

Hiya Chperplt,

Man, given the nature of trim malfunctions in general and the BE-1900 problems in particular lately, any sort of trim problem for me would be an "airplane's not going to move until its fixed to my satisfaction" issue. I don't care if it's BFE at 0400.

You are messing around with something very, very serious. Even if it is just frozen, you are causing all kinds of stress, wear, moisture and tension issues. Thing is, you don't know what the problem is, and it could be masked by something else.

Uh uh....no way, fix it right or its parked, period.


My $ 0.02...

Best,
Nu

 

[Kansan]

Write it up! Nothing worst that dodging TS at altitute, while at the same time having to overcome a frozen trim scenero. Just more thing to have to worry about. Please don't pass that ordeal on the next crew to accept the aircraft. Just because it will free itself up a lower altitude. doesn't make it ok. Mx needs to purge that moisture and regrease it.

The main point is ... If it ain't right, get it fixed.

 

[chperplt]

For all those who have their panties in a wad, I did say I've written airplanes up for this.

My safety is quite important to me, thanks..

 

[NuGuy]

Hiya Chperplt,

Didn't mean to come across that way...but written up is one thing, written up and fixed is another.

I'm sure you did everything you could. Hopefully the crews after you did the same. At every outfit I've been at, the unwritten rule is that if one CA refuses the AC for a MX problem, no one else touches it until it is fixed.

Best to you,
Nu

 

[chperplt]

At every outfit I've been at, the unwritten rule is that if one CA refuses the AC for a MX problem, no one else touches it until it is fixed.

Only if that were the case here....

 

[Britpilot]

I flew the 1900 for three years in CLE. I did see this problem a few times and was told that it was due to water freezing on the cable. I was usually able to restore trim by rocking the manual trim back and forth until it freed up.

 

[chperplt]

I was usually able to restore trim by rocking the manual trim back and forth until it freed up.

Until it freed up or snapped.... How much tension is required on a frozen cable before it breaks?

 

[CA1900]

Good question. I've had the steel cable in the cabin door (the one that turns the camlocks) snap on a cold morning in Presque Isle while trying to close the door. That was a little inconvenient.

I shudder to think what a snapped trim cable would do. I'm not sure how much thicker (if at all) that cable is versus the one in the door.

 

[avoidingmyboss]

I fly a citation we had the same problem. It took Cessna almost 2 years to figure it out. I believe we had bad trim actuators