Regional Jet 200 ER/LR (CRJ200)
Troubleshooting; Situational Awareness; Human-Machine Interface; Distraction; Workload
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Maintenance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General Release Refused / Aircraft Not Accepted; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Company Policy; Logbook Entry; Procedure
We were operating a flight to get some maintenance after having sat for awhile. After takeoff; at around 4;000 ft. we received a RT Windshield Heat Caution message. While running the QRH for that at approximately 7;500 ft.; the windshield cracked. We immediately stopped climbing and slowed to 200 kts. and requested a turn back to the airport while running the QRH for that. The windshield really wasn't a problem. The issue was when after I turned off the autopilot for the Visual Approach; I noticed right away that the flight controls felt strange. They seemed to be much less effective mostly in pitch. I was having a hard time staying in the flight director because it felt like I was having to make large inputs with delayed response from the plane. We were able to land safely. I wrote up that the controls were spongy less responsive. We went to the hotel. In the morning; I called maintenance to ask what they had found. I was told that they checked the cables and pulleys and that nothing was found. I told the maintenance controller that I wasn't going to fly it until something was found. We went to the hangar in the morning a bit early so I could talk to the maintenance team. I saw that the logbook was signed off and that it indicated 'flight control check satisfactory'; and it was signed off. I told my concerns to a few mechanics. Some didn't seem real concerned. A couple were curious. I took one to another aircraft in the hangar and had him do a flight control check. Then went back to my plane and did one. He immediately said 'wow; this one is much harder; and I feel a catch in the elevator'. He said that is definitely the pitch feel system and the plane was then put back on maintenance to get fixed. My concern is that if another crew had been assigned to this plane; they might've not noticed the odd feeling flight control check and tried to go flying with potentially bad results. Flight control concerns from pilots need to be taken seriously! The First Officer who was in the right seat and did the flight control check; said they felt fine when he did the check before takeoff.I suggest Maintenance take major issues such as flight control concerns from pilots more seriously. I also suggest the mechanic that signed the plane off get more training. Their procedures for flight control checks might need to change. Another aircraft should've been used as an example to see if the problem aircraft felt the same.
CRJ flight crew reported a cracked windshield and flight control malfunction resulted in a return to the departure airport; where an elevator control problem was found.