EMB ERJ 190/195 ER/LR
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Confusion; Troubleshooting
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Flight Crew Returned To Gate; General Maintenance Action; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Aircraft
After pushback and engine start; we proceeded to do the required flight control check before taxiing out for takeoff. FO let me know that the flight controls felt stiff and they were not returning to the neutral position. We both did the flight control check for the ailerons. Both control columns did not return to the neutral position in neither directions and the ailerons and spoilers did showed displaced on the EICAS page.I called our dispatcher and we did a conference call with Maintenance Control. Maintenance Control asked me to do some troubleshooting to see if it would help the situation. After following what I was asked to do; the problem did not corrected itself. Maintenance Control told me to return to the gate. Our dispatcher said he would notify [destination] Ops.FO contacted Operations for a gate assignment. We returned back to the gate and passengers deplaned. I explained to the mechanics what was wrong with the aircraft. One thing that the mechanics did showed me was that after they disconnected the ailerons using the emergency aileron roll disconnect handle in the cockpit; they had no roll control using the FO control column. After about an hour; the flight was canceled.
An EMB-190 First Officer detected a stiff and displaced yoke during the pre taxi aileron/spoiler flight control check. After returning to the gate; Maintenance used the emergency aileron disconnect handle which resulted in the complete disconnect of the First Officer's yoke roll control.