Learjet 45
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 116; Flight Crew Total 1852; Flight Crew Type 138
Training / Qualification; Time Pressure; Human-Machine Interface; Communication Breakdown; Troubleshooting
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation - Speed All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Ground Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed; General Maintenance Action
Human Factors; Aircraft
I split legs with this other 74-year-old Captain and I'm in the right seat. He slowly brings the power in and then we get the configuration callouts; red lights; yellow lights and white lights (pitch trim setting) and then he proceeds to ignore my 4 abort takeoff calls. Configuration red lights (trims and we were trimmed majorly nose down... After ignoring the aural; visual and vocal call outs; he rotated around 165kts - plus; muscled it into the air then couldn't keep altitude. Started 200/300ft descent at around 800/900ft. Told me he couldn't keep the nose up and ask me to help; so I took the airplane from him with a nose down attitude at over 250KTS; trim was inoperative; [I] used pitch trim bias to arrest the descent and elevator disconnect after that; never got back above 1;000 AGL. Brought it back around and landed. We completed the all necessary checklists. And when I called for 'trims' before takeoff... he said 'check'.  Rotated around max tire speed of 165. Then once airborne; while nosing down we're doing somewhere over 250; well past the red tape for flaps 8 degrees. That's when I took the airplane. I took the airplane and then delegated tasks to him while I flew us out of that situation. I got him to adjust power and adjust the pitch trim bias up; and engage elevator disconnect. While I kept us airborne.  I was speaking with ATC the entire time.  Wheels up to wheels down was 6 minutes.
Lear 45 Captain reported a loss of aircraft control during Takeoff/Liftoff due to failure of Elevator Pitch Trim failure. Pilot monitoring assumed aircraft control and executed a safe landing. Loss of control event was exacerbated by takeoff Pilot's failure to follow established takeoff procedures.