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| Date: | Thursday 4 June 1998 |
| Time: | c. 06:12 LT |
| Type: |  British Aerospace 4100 Jetstream 41 |
| Owner/operator: | British Airways Express, opb British Regional Airlines |
| Registration: | G-MAJE |
| MSN: | 41007 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1992 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 12 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Location: | over Isle of Man -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Belfast International Airport (BFS/EGAA) |
| Southampton Airport (SOU/EGHI) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aircraft had climbed to cruise level on a flight from Belfast to Southampton. The departure had
been flown manually, with the aircraft in balanced trim. It had been in the cruise at an airspeed of
210 kt at FL 190 for approximately five minutes with the autopilot engaged and the First Officer
(FO) as the handling pilot, when a 'TRIM L' amber caption illuminated on the forward coaming
panel. The crew reported that the aileron trim indicator showed neutral. Conditions were VMC,
with no apparent airframe icing, and the Outside Air Temperature was -20°C. It had climbed
through what was described as a 'very moist layer' between 1,000 to 6,500 feet agl. The FO
disengaged the autopilot and attempted to retrim the aileron but the aileron trim control was
immovable; the application of substantial control wheel force by the FO was required to prevent the
aircraft from rolling to the right.
The crew consulted the checklists but found none that fitted the circumstances. The autopilot trim
power switch was selected off but without any effect. The crew then decided to divert back to
Belfast, issued a PAN call and ATC provided radar vectors. The FO slowed the aircraft to
manoeuvring speed and the commander informed the cabin crew and passengers of the diversion.
After commencing a descent, the FO informed the captain that the control problem was worsening,
but was still manageable. Between FL 160 to FL 140 during the descent the roll controllability
began to improve. The captain decided to carry out the landing and took over the handling after the
aircraft had been levelled at FL 140. Shortly thereafter the aircraft handling and the aileron trim
control became normal, approximately 10 minutes after the 'TRIM L' warning. A landing was
carried out at Belfast with no further problems.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422ffc3ed915d13740009ff/dft_avsafety_pdf_501234.pdf
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/8849961 (Photo)
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Sep-2025 17:41 | Justanormalperson | Added |
| 28-Sep-2025 17:41 | Justanormalperson | Updated [Accident report, ] |
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