Narrative:

We were assigned aircraft, an light transport type, at our maintenance hangar. Earlier that day they had worked on that aircraft for nose steering problems, which was written up several times before for the same problem. The aircraft was pulling hard right during all phases of operations. They released the aircraft back to service. Supposedly, the problem was corrected and good to go. I checked all the paperwork and everything was singed off and legal to go. We performed our preflight and runup checks, one of them being the nose steering tests which were all normal. We proceeded to our gate, loaded our passenger and taxied to runway 36R at mco. We completed all our before takeoff checklists and taxied into position and hold on runway 36L. We were cleared for takeoff and I advanced takeoff power which was up to torque 60 percent and the first officer finished setting the power which was torque 90 percent. Everything was normal. Shortly after that, the aircraft veered hard to the right and off the pavement into the grass area. We aborted the takeoff and firmly applied the brakes and full reverse. Once on the grass, I noticed the 'nose steer fail light' illuminated on the annunciator panel. The procedure is to hold the button for steering, which is on the throttle lever, if you see the light. So, I accomplished this and taxied the aircraft back on to the runway. We advised the tower that we had just aborted and needed assistance. We taxied onto a taxiway and had the crash/fire and rescue unit inspect the aircraft while we waited there with the engines running and the passenger onboard. No damage to the aircraft or the runway environment was caused. At this point, I saw no further assistance needed. The aircraft was under control and could be taxied back to our gate. Upon arrival at the gate, there was a mechanic waiting there for us and he watched us shut down the aircraft. He witnessed the nose gear caster to the right and back to the left at shut down. So the problem with the nose gear was evident, event at shut down. I wrote up the malfunction in our maintenance log and reported to the chief pilot. I explained to him what had just happened. Shortly after that, 2 FAA inspectors arrived at the scene. They also wanted to know what happened, so I explained to them also. Supplemental information from acn 267849: I was also applying full braking. I advised company operations what happened and told them we were returning to the gate. I kept the passenger informed a total of 3 times prior to reaching the gate. They appeared calm, considering. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter indicated that this type aircraft has had a history of going or nearly going off the runway with its recurring nosewheel steering failures. If the nosewheel steering function fails, there is apt to be a hydraulic signal sent to the nose gear that will change the aircraft's direction, sometimes quite suddenly as in this case. This particular aircraft spent 2 days in the hangar where maintenance personnel changed the entire system as it had been recurring for several days on several flts. Reporter did not note the light denoting the failure until the aircraft had stopped. He said it didn't come on until that point, too late for any sufficient warning. There is no tiller on this aircraft, the steering is through the rudder pedals. The aircraft also has a very poor braking system. The crews are taught to have both crew members stand on the brakes during an abort...the one pressing the hardest gets the brakes on his side to work. Reporter had another event on takeoff when the nose fault light came on just at rotation. He flew it off the runway, turned off the steering hydraulics and landed at destination airport without nose steering, using brakes for rollout and taxi.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOSS OF ACFT CTL WITH A RESULTING RWY EXCURSION. TKOF ABORTED, NATURALLY.

Narrative: WE WERE ASSIGNED ACFT, AN LTT TYPE, AT OUR MAINT HANGAR. EARLIER THAT DAY THEY HAD WORKED ON THAT ACFT FOR NOSE STEERING PROBS, WHICH WAS WRITTEN UP SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE FOR THE SAME PROB. THE ACFT WAS PULLING HARD R DURING ALL PHASES OF OPS. THEY RELEASED THE ACFT BACK TO SVC. SUPPOSEDLY, THE PROB WAS CORRECTED AND GOOD TO GO. I CHKED ALL THE PAPERWORK AND EVERYTHING WAS SINGED OFF AND LEGAL TO GO. WE PERFORMED OUR PREFLT AND RUNUP CHKS, ONE OF THEM BEING THE NOSE STEERING TESTS WHICH WERE ALL NORMAL. WE PROCEEDED TO OUR GATE, LOADED OUR PAX AND TAXIED TO RWY 36R AT MCO. WE COMPLETED ALL OUR BEFORE TKOF CHKLISTS AND TAXIED INTO POS AND HOLD ON RWY 36L. WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF AND I ADVANCED TKOF PWR WHICH WAS UP TO TORQUE 60 PERCENT AND THE FO FINISHED SETTING THE PWR WHICH WAS TORQUE 90 PERCENT. EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THE ACFT VEERED HARD TO THE R AND OFF THE PAVEMENT INTO THE GRASS AREA. WE ABORTED THE TKOF AND FIRMLY APPLIED THE BRAKES AND FULL REVERSE. ONCE ON THE GRASS, I NOTICED THE 'NOSE STEER FAIL LIGHT' ILLUMINATED ON THE ANNUNCIATOR PANEL. THE PROC IS TO HOLD THE BUTTON FOR STEERING, WHICH IS ON THE THROTTLE LEVER, IF YOU SEE THE LIGHT. SO, I ACCOMPLISHED THIS AND TAXIED THE ACFT BACK ON TO THE RWY. WE ADVISED THE TWR THAT WE HAD JUST ABORTED AND NEEDED ASSISTANCE. WE TAXIED ONTO A TXWY AND HAD THE CRASH/FIRE AND RESCUE UNIT INSPECT THE ACFT WHILE WE WAITED THERE WITH THE ENGS RUNNING AND THE PAX ONBOARD. NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT OR THE RWY ENVIRONMENT WAS CAUSED. AT THIS POINT, I SAW NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE NEEDED. THE ACFT WAS UNDER CTL AND COULD BE TAXIED BACK TO OUR GATE. UPON ARR AT THE GATE, THERE WAS A MECH WAITING THERE FOR US AND HE WATCHED US SHUT DOWN THE ACFT. HE WITNESSED THE NOSE GEAR CASTER TO THE R AND BACK TO THE L AT SHUT DOWN. SO THE PROB WITH THE NOSE GEAR WAS EVIDENT, EVENT AT SHUT DOWN. I WROTE UP THE MALFUNCTION IN OUR MAINT LOG AND RPTED TO THE CHIEF PLT. I EXPLAINED TO HIM WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, 2 FAA INSPECTORS ARRIVED AT THE SCENE. THEY ALSO WANTED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, SO I EXPLAINED TO THEM ALSO. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 267849: I WAS ALSO APPLYING FULL BRAKING. I ADVISED COMPANY OPS WHAT HAPPENED AND TOLD THEM WE WERE RETURNING TO THE GATE. I KEPT THE PAX INFORMED A TOTAL OF 3 TIMES PRIOR TO REACHING THE GATE. THEY APPEARED CALM, CONSIDERING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR INDICATED THAT THIS TYPE ACFT HAS HAD A HISTORY OF GOING OR NEARLY GOING OFF THE RWY WITH ITS RECURRING NOSEWHEEL STEERING FAILURES. IF THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING FUNCTION FAILS, THERE IS APT TO BE A HYD SIGNAL SENT TO THE NOSE GEAR THAT WILL CHANGE THE ACFT'S DIRECTION, SOMETIMES QUITE SUDDENLY AS IN THIS CASE. THIS PARTICULAR ACFT SPENT 2 DAYS IN THE HANGAR WHERE MAINT PERSONNEL CHANGED THE ENTIRE SYS AS IT HAD BEEN RECURRING FOR SEVERAL DAYS ON SEVERAL FLTS. RPTR DID NOT NOTE THE LIGHT DENOTING THE FAILURE UNTIL THE ACFT HAD STOPPED. HE SAID IT DIDN'T COME ON UNTIL THAT POINT, TOO LATE FOR ANY SUFFICIENT WARNING. THERE IS NO TILLER ON THIS ACFT, THE STEERING IS THROUGH THE RUDDER PEDALS. THE ACFT ALSO HAS A VERY POOR BRAKING SYS. THE CREWS ARE TAUGHT TO HAVE BOTH CREW MEMBERS STAND ON THE BRAKES DURING AN ABORT...THE ONE PRESSING THE HARDEST GETS THE BRAKES ON HIS SIDE TO WORK. RPTR HAD ANOTHER EVENT ON TKOF WHEN THE NOSE FAULT LIGHT CAME ON JUST AT ROTATION. HE FLEW IT OFF THE RWY, TURNED OFF THE STEERING HYDS AND LANDED AT DEST ARPT WITHOUT NOSE STEERING, USING BRAKES FOR ROLLOUT AND TAXI.

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.