Joe,

You are a luck man !!! Most guys do not check control linkage's in preflight including myself until my " Incident " .. By God I check them all now !!!! Glad to see it didn't cost you like it did me !!! I had a rod break identical to yours on a Tam F-16 on the elevator.. It too showed itself on the ground when the stab went limp.. I has to be a issue with the rod quality, brittle metal.. Scarey !!!!

Danno