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B737-800 captain reports loss of directional control during takeoff; followed by a rejected takeoff and return to the gate for an aircraft swap. Maintenance found faults with the right hand steering actuator.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1170975 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201405 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | B737-800 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Other Rejected Takeoff |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Nosewheel Steering |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown |
Narrative:
Prior to takeoff I selected 24K max power due to strong gusting winds out of the south for takeoff to the east. During takeoff roll both engines spooled up normally to 40 percent. However once to/GA was pressed a pronounced yaw to the left was felt; the opposite of what one would expect with a right crosswind. I applied full right rudder to the stop and yaw continued. I looked at engine instruments fully expecting to see left engine either failed or hung yet both were evenly matched and producing approximately 95 percent power. I aborted the takeoff. I had no idea what caused the uncontrolled left yaw as all engine and hydraulic indications were normal; but I knew something was very wrong and elected to return to the gate. Both tiller and rudder pedal steering appeared normal during taxi. The airplane was taken out of service by maintenance. The subsequent logbook sign-off read: 'found right/H steering actuator leaking and steering input link rod end bearings frozen. Removed and replaced.' I also saw a request from maintenance control to download fdr as a result of the event.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: B737-800 Captain reports loss of directional control during takeoff; followed by a rejected takeoff and return to the gate for an aircraft swap. Maintenance found faults with the right hand steering actuator.
Narrative: Prior to takeoff I selected 24K max power due to strong gusting winds out of the south for takeoff to the east. During takeoff roll both engines spooled up normally to 40 percent. However once TO/GA was pressed a pronounced yaw to the left was felt; the opposite of what one would expect with a right crosswind. I applied full right rudder to the stop and yaw continued. I looked at engine instruments fully expecting to see left engine either failed or hung yet both were evenly matched and producing approximately 95 percent power. I aborted the takeoff. I had no idea what caused the uncontrolled left yaw as all engine and hydraulic indications were normal; but I knew something was very wrong and elected to return to the gate. Both tiller and rudder pedal steering appeared normal during taxi. The airplane was taken out of service by Maintenance. The subsequent logbook sign-off read: 'Found R/H steering actuator leaking and steering input link rod end bearings frozen. Removed and replaced.' I also saw a request from Maintenance Control to download FDR as a result of the event.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.