Narrative:

Shortly after takeoff, stl tower questioned our gear position. Crew reported gear up and locked according to all cockpit indications. Tower responded that an airport vehicle beside our runway of departure had observed a gear tire had fallen off our aircraft on rotation. Stl tower turned radio communications over to departure for holding vectors as per crew's request to go through checklists and talk to company maintenance/operations. Company operations in stl confirmed that the tire that had fallen off was the left nosewheel. Company asked crew to do a fly-by at a nearby airport, aln, to verify the missing nosewheel. While doing descent check into aln, the master caution tone and light alarmed and the amber hydraulic light on the central warning panel illuminated. Closer observation revealed that hydraulic quantity was below the red radial line. Main hydraulic accumulator was low, emergency hydraulic accumulator was normal (allowing enough hydraulic's to lower gear) and the inboard/outboard hydraulic accumulator were low. The low approach into aln was broken off and company maintenance was contacted again and checklists associated with hydraulic pressure/quantity loss were followed. Emergency hydraulic's allowed for normal gear extension, however, flaps had to be manually pumped down for landing. Company advised crew to get on ground soon. After all checklists were completed and the flight attendant and passenger were notified and briefed, crew started final approach into stl, runway 30L. With no hydraulic's, crew went thorough possible scenarios/what to expect, on landing having no braking or steering. Tower was informed that we would have no braking or steering, and they responded that they would have emergency equipment standing by. Initial touchdown was normal. Crew held nose off ground as long as possible. When aircraft started slowing, it started veering to right side of runway. The captain tried to compensate using steering tiller and first officer tried to compensate using differential power and differential reverse. With the end of the runway and localizer antenna's approaching, crew shut down engines. Aircraft slowly veered off runway to the right, striking 3 runway lights. Emergency personnel on ground had to immediately chock aircraft from rolling backwards more than it had. First officer and captain shut down aircraft as per checklists and the first officer did an exterior walkaround of aircraft before deplaning passenger to ensure that the aircraft and remaining gear were secure. Passenger were deplaned and transported to main terminal and aircraft was towed off runway. The remaining nosewheel was flat. A post inspection of aircraft revealed that the nosewheel bushings and bearings failed, causing left nosewheel tire to fall off. After wheel fell off, it struck the brake lines and hydraulic lines on the right main gear. No other damage was done to aircraft, and no injuries reported.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NOSEWHEEL SEPARATES ON TKOF DAMAGING HYD LINES RESULTING IN HYD LOSS AND EMER LNDG.

Narrative: SHORTLY AFTER TKOF, STL TWR QUESTIONED OUR GEAR POS. CREW RPTED GEAR UP AND LOCKED ACCORDING TO ALL COCKPIT INDICATIONS. TWR RESPONDED THAT AN ARPT VEHICLE BESIDE OUR RWY OF DEP HAD OBSERVED A GEAR TIRE HAD FALLEN OFF OUR ACFT ON ROTATION. STL TWR TURNED RADIO COMS OVER TO DEP FOR HOLDING VECTORS AS PER CREW'S REQUEST TO GO THROUGH CHKLISTS AND TALK TO COMPANY MAINT/OPS. COMPANY OPS IN STL CONFIRMED THAT THE TIRE THAT HAD FALLEN OFF WAS THE L NOSEWHEEL. COMPANY ASKED CREW TO DO A FLY-BY AT A NEARBY ARPT, ALN, TO VERIFY THE MISSING NOSEWHEEL. WHILE DOING DSCNT CHK INTO ALN, THE MASTER CAUTION TONE AND LIGHT ALARMED AND THE AMBER HYD LIGHT ON THE CENTRAL WARNING PANEL ILLUMINATED. CLOSER OBSERVATION REVEALED THAT HYD QUANTITY WAS BELOW THE RED RADIAL LINE. MAIN HYD ACCUMULATOR WAS LOW, EMER HYD ACCUMULATOR WAS NORMAL (ALLOWING ENOUGH HYD'S TO LOWER GEAR) AND THE INBOARD/OUTBOARD HYD ACCUMULATOR WERE LOW. THE LOW APCH INTO ALN WAS BROKEN OFF AND COMPANY MAINT WAS CONTACTED AGAIN AND CHKLISTS ASSOCIATED WITH HYD PRESSURE/QUANTITY LOSS WERE FOLLOWED. EMER HYD'S ALLOWED FOR NORMAL GEAR EXTENSION, HOWEVER, FLAPS HAD TO BE MANUALLY PUMPED DOWN FOR LNDG. COMPANY ADVISED CREW TO GET ON GND SOON. AFTER ALL CHKLISTS WERE COMPLETED AND THE FLT ATTENDANT AND PAX WERE NOTIFIED AND BRIEFED, CREW STARTED FINAL APCH INTO STL, RWY 30L. WITH NO HYD'S, CREW WENT THOROUGH POSSIBLE SCENARIOS/WHAT TO EXPECT, ON LNDG HAVING NO BRAKING OR STEERING. TWR WAS INFORMED THAT WE WOULD HAVE NO BRAKING OR STEERING, AND THEY RESPONDED THAT THEY WOULD HAVE EMER EQUIP STANDING BY. INITIAL TOUCHDOWN WAS NORMAL. CREW HELD NOSE OFF GND AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. WHEN ACFT STARTED SLOWING, IT STARTED VEERING TO R SIDE OF RWY. THE CAPT TRIED TO COMPENSATE USING STEERING TILLER AND FO TRIED TO COMPENSATE USING DIFFERENTIAL PWR AND DIFFERENTIAL REVERSE. WITH THE END OF THE RWY AND LOC ANTENNA'S APCHING, CREW SHUT DOWN ENGS. ACFT SLOWLY VEERED OFF RWY TO THE R, STRIKING 3 RWY LIGHTS. EMER PERSONNEL ON GND HAD TO IMMEDIATELY CHOCK ACFT FROM ROLLING BACKWARDS MORE THAN IT HAD. FO AND CAPT SHUT DOWN ACFT AS PER CHKLISTS AND THE FO DID AN EXTERIOR WALKAROUND OF ACFT BEFORE DEPLANING PAX TO ENSURE THAT THE ACFT AND REMAINING GEAR WERE SECURE. PAX WERE DEPLANED AND TRANSPORTED TO MAIN TERMINAL AND ACFT WAS TOWED OFF RWY. THE REMAINING NOSEWHEEL WAS FLAT. A POST INSPECTION OF ACFT REVEALED THAT THE NOSEWHEEL BUSHINGS AND BEARINGS FAILED, CAUSING L NOSEWHEEL TIRE TO FALL OFF. AFTER WHEEL FELL OFF, IT STRUCK THE BRAKE LINES AND HYD LINES ON THE R MAIN GEAR. NO OTHER DAMAGE WAS DONE TO ACFT, AND NO INJURIES RPTED.

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.