PA-32 Cherokee Six/Lance/Saratoga/6X
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 10; Flight Crew Total 700; Flight Crew Type 14
Communication Breakdown
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Landed As Precaution; General Maintenance Action
Company Policy; Aircraft; Human Factors
I pre-flighted Aircraft X in ZZZ (departure airport) and noticed the trim wheel full forward during pre-flight. Took off in VMC/VFR to ZZZ1. The plane was sporting a brand new install GFC 500 autopilot. We used the autopilot on the way to ZZZ1. We climbed up to 9;500. It was bumpy as we approached the terrain around ZZZ1 so we slowed down considerably and descended for a landing. I was with my CFI friend who is a jet captain.Our flight club Treasurer called me and text me while in ZZZ1 after we had some breakfast. He said if you can please fly straight home as there may be an issue with the pitch trim and you should pull the autopilot circuit breaker. I asked him why he didn't mention that to me after he flew it the night before and when he noticed the problem then and he said he forgot. Asked why he didn't mention it to me in the morning before we left and he said we left early and he slept in. It's possible he didn't realize the severity of the problem. Perhaps he was flying a lot slower the previous night on descent and didn't face the same issue as us that day. Perhaps he didn't experience or realize the severity of the issue altogether.Before we left ZZZ1 we briefed the departure and planed on flying back to ZZZ via the desert. We also determined that not only should we pull the autopilot breaker but more importantly the pitch trim servo breaker. When we left ZZZ1 we departed runway 8 and climbed toward the NE. After clearing the terrain we turned west and settled in at cruise. My friend in the right seat was talking to a friend that was working Center. I decided to descend soon after we turned west to 6500 in a cruise descent. Listening to him talk to Center I didn't realize that after over a few minutes I had been pitching forward much more than normal. I noticed finally when the pitch trim was full forward to the stop and I was putting a lot of pressure on the control yoke to get the plane to descend on top of that. My friend asked for the flight controls and he almost immediately said I think we have a bound up flight cable and asked me if I agree we should make an emergency landing in ZZZ2 which was the closest airport. We slowed down (to go down) and that worked good enough thankfully. The trim wheel never moved back after that point even as we slowed and continued to descend. The control wheel full forward just made pushing on the control wheel forward a little easier. We landed and secured the plane and had a friend that lived [close] pick us up and take us back to ZZZ. We called our flight club leadership and told them the plane was down and something very serious was wrong with the flight controls.As we arrived to our cars at ZZZ almost four plus hours later we found three of the club board members (safety officer; maintenance officer and the treasurer) taking off in another club plane (C182). An hour later we curiously looked at the track log for that plane and sure enough they went from ZZZ to ZZZ2. Within 30 minutes or less of wheels down in the C182 the PA32 was on it's way back to ZZZ. They completely ignored that we downed the plane and almost certainly had no A&P look at the plane. I am writing this because the pattern just repeated with another member who had a redline oil temp in our club C172 and downed the plane in ZZZ3 and the exact same thing was done - they dismissed her account of the plane issue and flew it right back to base (ZZZ). She also had a CFI on board. The C172 has been having engine trouble for many months now and the club and maintenance shop can't figure out what's wrong with it. This was the latest episode of that ongoing issue.In my case when Aircraft X was returned to base it was down for nine days. The Treasurer who often doubles as a maintenance officer; wrote - 'The Aircraft X autopilot install highlighted an old nagging issue where the trim wheel was sometimes unable to achieve full down trim. The cables were replaced and the function is now fullyrestored.' The autopilot was installed maybe a week or two before this event. To this day I cannot get the club board to produce any ferry permit for the plane being returned to base; an A&P signing off on the plane before they returned it to base that day nor will they provide the aircraft maintenance logbook so we can see exactly what 'cables replaced' means immediately following our incident.I am writing this because a few members recently suggested it. I didn't realize that maybe I should have written this a little sooner following the event. I also learned that I may need to file [another] form because I experienced flight control issues in an aircraft. I will follow up on that as well hoping to be doing what is expected of me as a licensed pilot.
PA32 Private Pilot reported pitch trim anomalies inflight followed by incorrect maintenance procedures.