The elevator controls pitch, meaning whether the nose goes up or down. On takeoff, the pilot has to pull back to rotate the nose up. If the elevator is jammed, you may not be able to lift the nose at all.
In the Flight 9363 case, the elevator was stuck in a nose down position. If they had continued the takeoff roll and reached flying speed, they likely wouldn’t have been able to rotate properly. Best case, they stay stuck on the runway and overrun it. Worst case, they get airborne barely or unevenly and can’t control pitch, which can turn catastrophic very quickly.
There’s no real “we’ll just fix it in the air” option with a fully jammed elevator. It’s a primary flight control.
The crew rejecting the takeoff probably saved everyone’s lives.
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