Narrative:

The purpose of the flight was to take voluntary recurrency multi-engine training with a flight instrument a who had previously given me a multi engine land rating in an small transport as an FAA designated examiner. In the interim, I had relied upon mr. A and other qualified pilot instrs for recurrency training over and above what was required by the FAA. I was aware that mr. A was very experienced as a pilot and that he did not have a current medical certificate when I called him to arrange for a recurrency flight check. I met with mr. A, and at this time we discussed the airwork and maneuvers we would accomplish in the small transport, and after making a preflight check of the small transport, we started up the engines. After taxiing out, departed tweed-new haven airport. We then proceeded to a secure airspace area and did various maneuvers and procedures. After about 1 hour, flew back to tweed-new haven airport for takeoffs and lndgs consisting of engine out procedures. We made 1 single engine approach with the right engine at 0 thrust and at this time at mr. A's direction, I missed the approach west/O landing. At this time, the landing gear and flaps were extended and the go around was normal and routine with the landing gear and flaps being retracted on the go around. The control tower cleared the flight for another landing, and at this time, I brought in the right engine and had reduced the power on the left engine to 0 thrust. I do not know the exact wind value(south) at this time, but I would say it was from 220 degrees, at about 5-10 KTS and steady. The landing gear and partial flaps were down during the final approach for a landing on runway 20. The flaps at the time of the flare were fully extended. The T/D on the main gear was normal and routine. Although I was holding substantial pressure of the right rudder pedal I was unable to align the nose of the aircraft with the direction of travel down the centerline of the runway. The nose of the aircraft was misaligned about 5 degrees to the left while still in flight just prior to the T/D. I continued with the approach and landing and touched down with the same degree of deflection believing I would be able to maintain a proper alignment of the aircraft during the rollout. At the time of the T/D and initial rollout, mr. A was instructed me to apply more right rudder. After T/D, the aircraft rolled down runway 20 for a few hundred ft on the centerline more or less, and then started to deviate slowly to the left toward the grass area. Although I was applying right rudder as hard as I could, and mr. A was as well, the aircraft rolled off runway 20 onto a grass area and collided with a sign and light before coming to a stop. I was also applying right brake at this time. I also noted that although the both of us were applying right rudder pedal pressure, both pedals appeared to be positioned equally on my controls. No personal injuries resulted in this accident. It should be noted that when aircraft came to rest, the rudder was slightly angled to the left. I also understand that the copilot's right rudder pedal bell crank was also damaged. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: callback conducted to determine if incident most likely pilot induced or some type of mechanical problem. Reporter himself is not entirely sure what the source of the problem was, but noted that NTSB investigators found 4 sheared bolts in the nose wheel steering system, and that these bolts exhibited signs of corrosion. The investigators took these bolts for subsequent analysis, but the results are not yet available.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMT EXPERIENCES RWY EXCURSION.

Narrative: THE PURPOSE OF THE FLT WAS TO TAKE VOLUNTARY RECURRENCY MULTI-ENG TRAINING WITH A FLT INSTR A WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY GIVEN ME A MULTI ENG LAND RATING IN AN SMT AS AN FAA DESIGNATED EXAMINER. IN THE INTERIM, I HAD RELIED UPON MR. A AND OTHER QUALIFIED PLT INSTRS FOR RECURRENCY TRNING OVER AND ABOVE WHAT WAS REQUIRED BY THE FAA. I WAS AWARE THAT MR. A WAS VERY EXPERIENCED AS A PLT AND THAT HE DID NOT HAVE A CURRENT MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WHEN I CALLED HIM TO ARRANGE FOR A RECURRENCY FLT CHK. I MET WITH MR. A, AND AT THIS TIME WE DISCUSSED THE AIRWORK AND MANEUVERS WE WOULD ACCOMPLISH IN THE SMT, AND AFTER MAKING A PREFLT CHK OF THE SMT, WE STARTED UP THE ENGS. AFTER TAXIING OUT, DEPARTED TWEED-NEW HAVEN ARPT. WE THEN PROCEEDED TO A SECURE AIRSPACE AREA AND DID VARIOUS MANEUVERS AND PROCS. AFTER ABOUT 1 HR, FLEW BACK TO TWEED-NEW HAVEN ARPT FOR TKOFS AND LNDGS CONSISTING OF ENG OUT PROCS. WE MADE 1 SINGLE ENG APCH WITH THE RIGHT ENG AT 0 THRUST AND AT THIS TIME AT MR. A'S DIRECTION, I MISSED THE APCH W/O LNDG. AT THIS TIME, THE LNDG GEAR AND FLAPS WERE EXTENDED AND THE GAR WAS NORMAL AND ROUTINE WITH THE LNDG GEAR AND FLAPS BEING RETRACTED ON THE GAR. THE CTL TWR CLRED THE FLT FOR ANOTHER LNDG, AND AT THIS TIME, I BROUGHT IN THE RIGHT ENG AND HAD REDUCED THE PWR ON THE LEFT ENG TO 0 THRUST. I DO NOT KNOW THE EXACT WIND VALUE(S) AT THIS TIME, BUT I WOULD SAY IT WAS FROM 220 DEGS, AT ABOUT 5-10 KTS AND STEADY. THE LNDG GEAR AND PARTIAL FLAPS WERE DOWN DURING THE FINAL APCH FOR A LNDG ON RWY 20. THE FLAPS AT THE TIME OF THE FLARE WERE FULLY EXTENDED. THE T/D ON THE MAIN GEAR WAS NORMAL AND ROUTINE. ALTHOUGH I WAS HOLDING SUBSTANTIAL PRESSURE OF THE RIGHT RUDDER PEDAL I WAS UNABLE TO ALIGN THE NOSE OF THE ACFT WITH THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL DOWN THE CENTERLINE OF THE RWY. THE NOSE OF THE ACFT WAS MISALIGNED ABOUT 5 DEGS TO THE LEFT WHILE STILL IN FLT JUST PRIOR TO THE T/D. I CONTINUED WITH THE APCH AND LNDG AND TOUCHED DOWN WITH THE SAME DEGREE OF DEFLECTION BELIEVING I WOULD BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN A PROPER ALIGNMENT OF THE ACFT DURING THE ROLLOUT. AT THE TIME OF THE T/D AND INITIAL ROLLOUT, MR. A WAS INSTRUCTED ME TO APPLY MORE RIGHT RUDDER. AFTER T/D, THE ACFT ROLLED DOWN RWY 20 FOR A FEW HUNDRED FT ON THE CENTERLINE MORE OR LESS, AND THEN STARTED TO DEVIATE SLOWLY TO THE LEFT TOWARD THE GRASS AREA. ALTHOUGH I WAS APPLYING RIGHT RUDDER AS HARD AS I COULD, AND MR. A WAS AS WELL, THE ACFT ROLLED OFF RWY 20 ONTO A GRASS AREA AND COLLIDED WITH A SIGN AND LIGHT BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. I WAS ALSO APPLYING RIGHT BRAKE AT THIS TIME. I ALSO NOTED THAT ALTHOUGH THE BOTH OF US WERE APPLYING RIGHT RUDDER PEDAL PRESSURE, BOTH PEDALS APPEARED TO BE POSITIONED EQUALLY ON MY CTLS. NO PERSONAL INJURIES RESULTED IN THIS ACCIDENT. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT WHEN ACFT CAME TO REST, THE RUDDER WAS SLIGHTLY ANGLED TO THE LEFT. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THE COPLT'S RIGHT RUDDER PEDAL BELL CRANK WAS ALSO DAMAGED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: CALLBACK CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE IF INCIDENT MOST LIKELY PLT INDUCED OR SOME TYPE OF MECHANICAL PROB. RPTR HIMSELF IS NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHAT THE SOURCE OF THE PROB WAS, BUT NOTED THAT NTSB INVESTIGATORS FOUND 4 SHEARED BOLTS IN THE NOSE WHEEL STEERING SYS, AND THAT THESE BOLTS EXHIBITED SIGNS OF CORROSION. THE INVESTIGATORS TOOK THESE BOLTS FOR SUBSEQUENT ANALYSIS, BUT THE RESULTS ARE NOT YET AVAILABLE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.