Narrative:

I was a first officer on a flight departing seattle on runway 16L at lima intersection. The aircraft was an SA227. Our company has had the aircraft over 12 yrs and thousands of takeoffs, however runway excursions have been a checkered part of our past. I was the PF. The captain turned off the nosewheel steering prior to turning on the runway, centered the aircraft on the centerline, and we transferred control. I advanced the power levers, they were coming up through 40 percent and the aircraft turned about 10-20 degrees to the right. I tried to control it with differential braking, but was unable to keep the diversion from happening. I aborted the takeoff which is not standard. Our capts are supposed to abort. He was glad that I did, however. Also, he was unable to straighten the aircraft until at taxi speed. We told the tower we were on abort, taxied to an area to run checklists and prepared for another takeoff. We ran the emergency 'nosewheel steering fail checklist,' and pulled the nosewheel steering circuit breaker. He elected to do the next takeoff. We proceeded without incident. We wrote up the nosewheel steering at our destination, ferried the aircraft back to our base. Discussing the incident, neither one of us could figure out exactly what happened. It was IFR at seattle, 700 ft broken, 1-2 mi visibility, rain and gusty winds (190 degrees 15 KTS gusting to 25 KTS). The winds could have been what caused it, but we don't know. We never ran off the runway which was fortunate. We had flown together and were familiar with one another (at least 70 hours). The captain is the pinnacle of a standardized pilot, never rushes, always 'by the book.' we used takeoff settings for a contaminated runway. Nothing was out of the ordinary for a typical winter, cruddy day in seattle. No windshear was being reported, but that might have been what caused it. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter feels that runway excursions are a common problem with the difficult handling characteristics of the metropolitan III. The first officer still does not know why he was not able to maintain centerline. He still believes that this might have been related to a malfunction in the nosewheel steering, but has not since queried maintenance.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TKOF ABORTED WHEN PLT OF AN SA227 COULD NOT MAINTAIN CTRLINE ALIGNMENT.

Narrative: I WAS A FO ON A FLT DEPARTING SEATTLE ON RWY 16L AT LIMA INTXN. THE ACFT WAS AN SA227. OUR COMPANY HAS HAD THE ACFT OVER 12 YRS AND THOUSANDS OF TKOFS, HOWEVER RWY EXCURSIONS HAVE BEEN A CHECKERED PART OF OUR PAST. I WAS THE PF. THE CAPT TURNED OFF THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING PRIOR TO TURNING ON THE RWY, CTRED THE ACFT ON THE CTRLINE, AND WE TRANSFERRED CTL. I ADVANCED THE PWR LEVERS, THEY WERE COMING UP THROUGH 40 PERCENT AND THE ACFT TURNED ABOUT 10-20 DEGS TO THE R. I TRIED TO CTL IT WITH DIFFERENTIAL BRAKING, BUT WAS UNABLE TO KEEP THE DIVERSION FROM HAPPENING. I ABORTED THE TKOF WHICH IS NOT STANDARD. OUR CAPTS ARE SUPPOSED TO ABORT. HE WAS GLAD THAT I DID, HOWEVER. ALSO, HE WAS UNABLE TO STRAIGHTEN THE ACFT UNTIL AT TAXI SPD. WE TOLD THE TWR WE WERE ON ABORT, TAXIED TO AN AREA TO RUN CHKLISTS AND PREPARED FOR ANOTHER TKOF. WE RAN THE EMER 'NOSEWHEEL STEERING FAIL CHKLIST,' AND PULLED THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING CIRCUIT BREAKER. HE ELECTED TO DO THE NEXT TKOF. WE PROCEEDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. WE WROTE UP THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING AT OUR DEST, FERRIED THE ACFT BACK TO OUR BASE. DISCUSSING THE INCIDENT, NEITHER ONE OF US COULD FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. IT WAS IFR AT SEATTLE, 700 FT BROKEN, 1-2 MI VISIBILITY, RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS (190 DEGS 15 KTS GUSTING TO 25 KTS). THE WINDS COULD HAVE BEEN WHAT CAUSED IT, BUT WE DON'T KNOW. WE NEVER RAN OFF THE RWY WHICH WAS FORTUNATE. WE HAD FLOWN TOGETHER AND WERE FAMILIAR WITH ONE ANOTHER (AT LEAST 70 HRS). THE CAPT IS THE PINNACLE OF A STANDARDIZED PLT, NEVER RUSHES, ALWAYS 'BY THE BOOK.' WE USED TKOF SETTINGS FOR A CONTAMINATED RWY. NOTHING WAS OUT OF THE ORDINARY FOR A TYPICAL WINTER, CRUDDY DAY IN SEATTLE. NO WINDSHEAR WAS BEING RPTED, BUT THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN WHAT CAUSED IT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR FEELS THAT RWY EXCURSIONS ARE A COMMON PROB WITH THE DIFFICULT HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE METRO III. THE FO STILL DOES NOT KNOW WHY HE WAS NOT ABLE TO MAINTAIN CTRLINE. HE STILL BELIEVES THAT THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN RELATED TO A MALFUNCTION IN THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING, BUT HAS NOT SINCE QUERIED MAINT.

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.