An FA50 crew, during takeoff roll at phx, experienced a bad shimmy and rejected the takeoff.

Attributes
ACN	543259
Time
Date	200203
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : phx.airport
State Reference	AZ
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : corporate
Make Model Name	Falcon 50
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Navigation In Use	other
Flight Phase	ground : preflight ground : parked ground : taxi ground : takeoff roll
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : corporate
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 8000 flight time type : 500
ASRS Report	543259
Person 2
Affiliation	company : corporate
Function	flight crew : first officer
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : company policies other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other flight crewb
Resolutory Action	flight crew : rejected takeoff
Consequence	other other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Company Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

Aircraft was parked on ramp at phx. Crew left airport for dinner. On return, captain paid for fuel and went to aircraft to return credit cards. Captain assured that nose steering link was connecting at that time. Captain went back into FBO to wait for passenger. Captain returned to aircraft approximately 1 hour later to prepare for departure. (Aircraft had not been moved from original location.) passenger arrived and copilot got taxi clearance. Upon moving forward, captain felt that nose steering wasn't working. Had copilot call ground control to request taxi delay. Captain asked copilot to get out of aircraft and doublechk that nose gear was properly connected. Copilot returned to aircraft and said gear looked normal. We checked the abnormal checklist and the MEL which said differential braking to steer was proper. Taxied to runway 25L and was cleared for takeoff. At some point before 60 KTS (airspeed was not alive) noticed a bad shimmy and aborted takeoff. Captain taxied off of runway and had copilot check all landing gear again (fearing blown tire). Copilot again said gear looked good but that nose strut was possibly flat. Captain then got out to check gear and found nose gear steering link pinned in 'tow' position (not connected to bottom steering link). Captain noticed some scratching of nose wheels from lower gear link, and upon assessing condition of nose gear, decided it would be ok to connect links and continue flight. Rest of flight (takeoff and landing) was normal. Maintenance at home base found damage to nose wheels, nose links and nose gear door cracks. Aircraft repaired and returned to service. In retrospect, I (as captain) should have conducted the landing gear inspections because of the copilot's relative inexperience in type of aircraft. Even though I suspected the links weren't connected, I accepted an inexperienced copilot's assessment and figured we had a bad proximity switch as our problem. I will in the future ensure clrer communication as to what I want out of each crew member and, if in doubt, will doublechk all system myself before moving the aircraft.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN FA50 CREW, DURING TKOF ROLL AT PHX, EXPERIENCED A BAD SHIMMY AND REJECTED THE TKOF.

Narrative: ACFT WAS PARKED ON RAMP AT PHX. CREW LEFT ARPT FOR DINNER. ON RETURN, CAPT PAID FOR FUEL AND WENT TO ACFT TO RETURN CREDIT CARDS. CAPT ASSURED THAT NOSE STEERING LINK WAS CONNECTING AT THAT TIME. CAPT WENT BACK INTO FBO TO WAIT FOR PAX. CAPT RETURNED TO ACFT APPROX 1 HR LATER TO PREPARE FOR DEP. (ACFT HAD NOT BEEN MOVED FROM ORIGINAL LOCATION.) PAX ARRIVED AND COPLT GOT TAXI CLRNC. UPON MOVING FORWARD, CAPT FELT THAT NOSE STEERING WASN'T WORKING. HAD COPLT CALL GND CTL TO REQUEST TAXI DELAY. CAPT ASKED COPLT TO GET OUT OF ACFT AND DOUBLECHK THAT NOSE GEAR WAS PROPERLY CONNECTED. COPLT RETURNED TO ACFT AND SAID GEAR LOOKED NORMAL. WE CHKED THE ABNORMAL CHKLIST AND THE MEL WHICH SAID DIFFERENTIAL BRAKING TO STEER WAS PROPER. TAXIED TO RWY 25L AND WAS CLRED FOR TKOF. AT SOME POINT BEFORE 60 KTS (AIRSPD WAS NOT ALIVE) NOTICED A BAD SHIMMY AND ABORTED TKOF. CAPT TAXIED OFF OF RWY AND HAD COPLT CHK ALL LNDG GEAR AGAIN (FEARING BLOWN TIRE). COPLT AGAIN SAID GEAR LOOKED GOOD BUT THAT NOSE STRUT WAS POSSIBLY FLAT. CAPT THEN GOT OUT TO CHK GEAR AND FOUND NOSE GEAR STEERING LINK PINNED IN 'TOW' POS (NOT CONNECTED TO BOTTOM STEERING LINK). CAPT NOTICED SOME SCRATCHING OF NOSE WHEELS FROM LOWER GEAR LINK, AND UPON ASSESSING CONDITION OF NOSE GEAR, DECIDED IT WOULD BE OK TO CONNECT LINKS AND CONTINUE FLT. REST OF FLT (TKOF AND LNDG) WAS NORMAL. MAINT AT HOME BASE FOUND DAMAGE TO NOSE WHEELS, NOSE LINKS AND NOSE GEAR DOOR CRACKS. ACFT REPAIRED AND RETURNED TO SVC. IN RETROSPECT, I (AS CAPT) SHOULD HAVE CONDUCTED THE LNDG GEAR INSPECTIONS BECAUSE OF THE COPLT'S RELATIVE INEXPERIENCE IN TYPE OF ACFT. EVEN THOUGH I SUSPECTED THE LINKS WEREN'T CONNECTED, I ACCEPTED AN INEXPERIENCED COPLT'S ASSESSMENT AND FIGURED WE HAD A BAD PROX SWITCH AS OUR PROB. I WILL IN THE FUTURE ENSURE CLRER COM AS TO WHAT I WANT OUT OF EACH CREW MEMBER AND, IF IN DOUBT, WILL DOUBLECHK ALL SYS MYSELF BEFORE MOVING THE ACFT.

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.