Narrative:

On mar/xa/98 at approximately XA30 our cargo was loaded and strapped down. After preflight and startup, ground control was contacted for our taxi clearance. We were cleared to runway 5L which gave us a left crosswind that is within the performance limits of the casa. In my takeoff brief, I stated a V1 speed of 100 KTS which is a few KTS faster than the charter speed for the present conditions. I did this because of our weight and the crosswind. When we were cleared for takeoff on runway 5L we were in position and holding for release. The predep checklists had been completed. I applied takeoff power and we accelerated down the runway. During the acceleration, at approximately 60 KTS, the aircraft drifted to the left which I attributed to the crosswind. I corrected the drift and soon after first officer called V1 and rotate. I rotated the nose and a second later the main wheels lifted off. The aircraft seemed to handle abnormally -- more specifically, the flight controls felt mushy. We were approximately 5-10 ft AGL when I told the first officer that 'the plane doesn't feel right and I'm going to put it back on the runway.' the main wheels touched down first, then as the nosewheel touched down I felt a left turning tendency which I corrected with right rudder. As the plane decelerated the left turning tendency quickly became more pronounced and then became a skid. I attempted to correct this situation by applying brakes and nosewheel steering, however, I was unable to regain control. The plane skidded off of the left side of the runway with the right main wheel digging into the sod first which caused the right wing to strike the ground. The plane then came to a stop and the engines were shut down with the emergency handles. The electrical was then turned off and we proceeded to evacuate/evacuation the plane. No injuries were sustained during this situation. This seems to be a situation where the nosewheel was in a left turn position prior to landing. The nosewheel on the casa is not self ctring, however, the nosewheel had to be centered at rotation. If not, the plane would have had a turning tendency at rotation in the direction in which the wheel was pointing. It is possible that this is a mechanical problem, but I cannot back this statement up with documentation. During this phase of flight it is not possible to verify the position of the nosewheel because that is accomplished with the left hand and at this phase of flight the left hand is on the control yoke. Normal procedures are to check the nosewheel during the before landing checklist and since this situation required immediate action this checklist was not accomplished. At this time I have no recommendations on how this situation could have been prevented. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the captain said that the aircraft's steering had been worked on by maintenance recently and he noted that during his preflight inspection of the logbook. In addition, he believes that the aircraft was overloaded. After the incident and after he and his first officer had spoken with the FAA, the owner and the chief pilot were allowed to unload the aircraft that night without the weight being checked. The load of cargo was shown on the weight and balance as being within the aircraft's limitations, but the aircraft's performance was as though it were grossly overweight, according to the reporter. The ruling that this was an incident is being appealed by the company that leased the aircraft to the reporter's company. The owners apparently want the event to be declared an accident due to insurance considerations and suspected ancillary damage. The captain stated to this analyst that the aircraft was known for its peculiar flying characteristics and frequent maintenance problems. In this case the nose gear steering had failed during the latter portion of the takeoff run and when the aircraft was allowed to settle onto the runway after its attempt to fly the nose gear had turned to the left. Normally, the gear ctrs after liftoff, but it had turned to approximately its limits leaving a large skid mark that started along the center of the runway and ended at the point along the left side where the aircraft departed the runway. The reporter is now employed by another airline. The flight crew was not charged with any errors or violations by the FAA.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR CASA 212 FLC REJECTED THEIR TKOF WHEN THE CAPT DECIDED THAT THE ACFT WAS UNFLYABLE. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THERE WAS APPARENTLY A STEERING FAILURE AND THE ACFT DEPARTED THE L SIDE OF THE RWY.

Narrative: ON MAR/XA/98 AT APPROX XA30 OUR CARGO WAS LOADED AND STRAPPED DOWN. AFTER PREFLT AND STARTUP, GND CTL WAS CONTACTED FOR OUR TAXI CLRNC. WE WERE CLRED TO RWY 5L WHICH GAVE US A L XWIND THAT IS WITHIN THE PERFORMANCE LIMITS OF THE CASA. IN MY TKOF BRIEF, I STATED A V1 SPD OF 100 KTS WHICH IS A FEW KTS FASTER THAN THE CHARTER SPD FOR THE PRESENT CONDITIONS. I DID THIS BECAUSE OF OUR WT AND THE XWIND. WHEN WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 5L WE WERE IN POS AND HOLDING FOR RELEASE. THE PREDEP CHKLISTS HAD BEEN COMPLETED. I APPLIED TKOF PWR AND WE ACCELERATED DOWN THE RWY. DURING THE ACCELERATION, AT APPROX 60 KTS, THE ACFT DRIFTED TO THE L WHICH I ATTRIBUTED TO THE XWIND. I CORRECTED THE DRIFT AND SOON AFTER FO CALLED V1 AND ROTATE. I ROTATED THE NOSE AND A SECOND LATER THE MAIN WHEELS LIFTED OFF. THE ACFT SEEMED TO HANDLE ABNORMALLY -- MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE FLT CTLS FELT MUSHY. WE WERE APPROX 5-10 FT AGL WHEN I TOLD THE FO THAT 'THE PLANE DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT AND I'M GOING TO PUT IT BACK ON THE RWY.' THE MAIN WHEELS TOUCHED DOWN FIRST, THEN AS THE NOSEWHEEL TOUCHED DOWN I FELT A L TURNING TENDENCY WHICH I CORRECTED WITH R RUDDER. AS THE PLANE DECELERATED THE L TURNING TENDENCY QUICKLY BECAME MORE PRONOUNCED AND THEN BECAME A SKID. I ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT THIS SIT BY APPLYING BRAKES AND NOSEWHEEL STEERING, HOWEVER, I WAS UNABLE TO REGAIN CTL. THE PLANE SKIDDED OFF OF THE L SIDE OF THE RWY WITH THE R MAIN WHEEL DIGGING INTO THE SOD FIRST WHICH CAUSED THE R WING TO STRIKE THE GND. THE PLANE THEN CAME TO A STOP AND THE ENGS WERE SHUT DOWN WITH THE EMER HANDLES. THE ELECTRICAL WAS THEN TURNED OFF AND WE PROCEEDED TO EVAC THE PLANE. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED DURING THIS SIT. THIS SEEMS TO BE A SIT WHERE THE NOSEWHEEL WAS IN A L TURN POS PRIOR TO LNDG. THE NOSEWHEEL ON THE CASA IS NOT SELF CTRING, HOWEVER, THE NOSEWHEEL HAD TO BE CTRED AT ROTATION. IF NOT, THE PLANE WOULD HAVE HAD A TURNING TENDENCY AT ROTATION IN THE DIRECTION IN WHICH THE WHEEL WAS POINTING. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THIS IS A MECHANICAL PROB, BUT I CANNOT BACK THIS STATEMENT UP WITH DOCUMENTATION. DURING THIS PHASE OF FLT IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO VERIFY THE POS OF THE NOSEWHEEL BECAUSE THAT IS ACCOMPLISHED WITH THE LEFT HAND AND AT THIS PHASE OF FLT THE LEFT HAND IS ON THE CTL YOKE. NORMAL PROCS ARE TO CHK THE NOSEWHEEL DURING THE BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST AND SINCE THIS SIT REQUIRED IMMEDIATE ACTION THIS CHKLIST WAS NOT ACCOMPLISHED. AT THIS TIME I HAVE NO RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW THIS SIT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CAPT SAID THAT THE ACFT'S STEERING HAD BEEN WORKED ON BY MAINT RECENTLY AND HE NOTED THAT DURING HIS PREFLT INSPECTION OF THE LOGBOOK. IN ADDITION, HE BELIEVES THAT THE ACFT WAS OVERLOADED. AFTER THE INCIDENT AND AFTER HE AND HIS FO HAD SPOKEN WITH THE FAA, THE OWNER AND THE CHIEF PLT WERE ALLOWED TO UNLOAD THE ACFT THAT NIGHT WITHOUT THE WT BEING CHKED. THE LOAD OF CARGO WAS SHOWN ON THE WT AND BAL AS BEING WITHIN THE ACFT'S LIMITATIONS, BUT THE ACFT'S PERFORMANCE WAS AS THOUGH IT WERE GROSSLY OVERWT, ACCORDING TO THE RPTR. THE RULING THAT THIS WAS AN INCIDENT IS BEING APPEALED BY THE COMPANY THAT LEASED THE ACFT TO THE RPTR'S COMPANY. THE OWNERS APPARENTLY WANT THE EVENT TO BE DECLARED AN ACCIDENT DUE TO INSURANCE CONSIDERATIONS AND SUSPECTED ANCILLARY DAMAGE. THE CAPT STATED TO THIS ANALYST THAT THE ACFT WAS KNOWN FOR ITS PECULIAR FLYING CHARACTERISTICS AND FREQUENT MAINT PROBS. IN THIS CASE THE NOSE GEAR STEERING HAD FAILED DURING THE LATTER PORTION OF THE TKOF RUN AND WHEN THE ACFT WAS ALLOWED TO SETTLE ONTO THE RWY AFTER ITS ATTEMPT TO FLY THE NOSE GEAR HAD TURNED TO THE L. NORMALLY, THE GEAR CTRS AFTER LIFTOFF, BUT IT HAD TURNED TO APPROX ITS LIMITS LEAVING A LARGE SKID MARK THAT STARTED ALONG THE CTR OF THE RWY AND ENDED AT THE POINT ALONG THE L SIDE WHERE THE ACFT DEPARTED THE RWY. THE RPTR IS NOW EMPLOYED BY ANOTHER AIRLINE. THE FLC WAS NOT CHARGED WITH ANY ERRORS OR VIOLATIONS BY THE FAA.

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.