Narrative:

Tower cleared us for visual approach right traffic for runway 10R. First officer made good approach from turbulence and strong crosswind. It was later reported after landing that wind was gusting to 20 mph and shifting from 150 degrees to 240 degrees and issued a windshear alert. These strong winds influenced the next stage of events. On touchdown, the nose of aircraft pointed slightly to right and landing was approximately 3-4 ft left of centerline. Due to company policy on small transport aircraft, only the captain must make rest of landing after touchdown, first officer transferred controls to captain. First officer was told to hold full right aileron and captain had rest of controls. Approximately 1 second prior to captain taking controls, first officer took ft off rudder pedals and pedals went full right rudder. Aircraft controls now in captain's control, the aircraft was veering off runway to right. Captain immediately brought in full reverse both propellers and then used differential reverse and full left rudder. Aircraft still kept veering to right uncontrollable. Captain applied differential braking as aircraft slowed to approximately 30 KTS and was now 8-10 ft right of centerline and 2-4 ft from right edge of runway. Aircraft still was uncontrollable veering right slightly. Captain engaged nosewheel steering button power lever and neutralized pedals. The nosewheel steering did not engage since captain applied left rudder and there was no response from nosewheel steering (nosewheel steering is connected to rudder pedals when engaged). The aircraft increased the severity of veering to the right and captain applied full left and right brakes and aircraft skidded off edge of runway into grass. With nosewheel in grass, aircraft pivoted about nose clockwise and came to rest approximately 110 degrees to right of runway heading. No damage to aircraft, 1 minor injury to passenger. Maintenance found defect in nosewheel steering. Contributing factors to incident: first officer low time in aircraft. Transfer of controls was not done in a positive manner, strong crosswind to changing quartering tailwind that was gusting. Not given current WX conditions by tower prior to landing, captain not being mentally prepared for a no nosewheel landing possibility, failure of nosewheel steering to engage, and captain should have briefed prior flight on method to transfer controls.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF ACR SMT ACFT LOST CTL OF ACFT DURING A GUSTY XWIND SHEAR LNDG.

Narrative: TWR CLRED US FOR VISUAL APCH R TFC FOR RWY 10R. FO MADE GOOD APCH FROM TURB AND STRONG XWIND. IT WAS LATER RPTED AFTER LNDG THAT WIND WAS GUSTING TO 20 MPH AND SHIFTING FROM 150 DEGS TO 240 DEGS AND ISSUED A WINDSHEAR ALERT. THESE STRONG WINDS INFLUENCED THE NEXT STAGE OF EVENTS. ON TOUCHDOWN, THE NOSE OF ACFT POINTED SLIGHTLY TO R AND LNDG WAS APPROX 3-4 FT L OF CTRLINE. DUE TO COMPANY POLICY ON SMT ACFT, ONLY THE CAPT MUST MAKE REST OF LNDG AFTER TOUCHDOWN, FO TRANSFERRED CTLS TO CAPT. FO WAS TOLD TO HOLD FULL R AILERON AND CAPT HAD REST OF CTLS. APPROX 1 SECOND PRIOR TO CAPT TAKING CTLS, FO TOOK FT OFF RUDDER PEDALS AND PEDALS WENT FULL R RUDDER. ACFT CTLS NOW IN CAPT'S CTL, THE ACFT WAS VEERING OFF RWY TO R. CAPT IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT IN FULL REVERSE BOTH PROPS AND THEN USED DIFFERENTIAL REVERSE AND FULL L RUDDER. ACFT STILL KEPT VEERING TO R UNCTLABLE. CAPT APPLIED DIFFERENTIAL BRAKING AS ACFT SLOWED TO APPROX 30 KTS AND WAS NOW 8-10 FT R OF CTRLINE AND 2-4 FT FROM R EDGE OF RWY. ACFT STILL WAS UNCTLABLE VEERING R SLIGHTLY. CAPT ENGAGED NOSEWHEEL STEERING BUTTON PWR LEVER AND NEUTRALIZED PEDALS. THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING DID NOT ENGAGE SINCE CAPT APPLIED L RUDDER AND THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM NOSEWHEEL STEERING (NOSEWHEEL STEERING IS CONNECTED TO RUDDER PEDALS WHEN ENGAGED). THE ACFT INCREASED THE SEVERITY OF VEERING TO THE R AND CAPT APPLIED FULL L AND R BRAKES AND ACFT SKIDDED OFF EDGE OF RWY INTO GRASS. WITH NOSEWHEEL IN GRASS, ACFT PIVOTED ABOUT NOSE CLOCKWISE AND CAME TO REST APPROX 110 DEGS TO R OF RWY HDG. NO DAMAGE TO ACFT, 1 MINOR INJURY TO PAX. MAINT FOUND DEFECT IN NOSEWHEEL STEERING. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO INCIDENT: FO LOW TIME IN ACFT. TRANSFER OF CTLS WAS NOT DONE IN A POSITIVE MANNER, STRONG XWIND TO CHANGING QUARTERING TAILWIND THAT WAS GUSTING. NOT GIVEN CURRENT WX CONDITIONS BY TWR PRIOR TO LNDG, CAPT NOT BEING MENTALLY PREPARED FOR A NO NOSEWHEEL LNDG POSSIBILITY, FAILURE OF NOSEWHEEL STEERING TO ENGAGE, AND CAPT SHOULD HAVE BRIEFED PRIOR FLT ON METHOD TO TRANSFER CTLS.

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.