Narrative:

We were cleared for takeoff, so we taxied onto the runway and completed the before takeoff checklist. The last item was for the first officer to check, we had a takeoff confign ok advisory message. He verified this and so did I. I started applying thrust while executing a rolling takeoff. At approximately 79% N1, we received a master warning annunciator along with a rudder mistrim warning EICAS message. I executed a low speed aborted takeoff at approximately 20 KTS. We notified tower of our abort and turned off the runway. We stopped the aircraft and noticed the rudder trim was slightly left of center and the rudder needle was white. I moved the rudder trim in both directions and rectred it. It appeared to work normally. My first officer had his cell phone handy, so he called our company maintenance controller. We told him what happened and he asked if the rudder trim appeared to be working normally. We told him yes, and asked if we needed to document this. He said he wasn't sure, but to ask our chief pilot. The first officer called our ZZZ regional chief, but he didn't answer. He then called the company chief pilot, but he didn't answer. He called the ZZZ1 chief pilot -- who answered. My first officer told him of the situation. The regional chief said we did not need to log a discrepancy in the airplane log, but we needed to facsimile an occurrence report regarding the aborted takeoff upon completion of the flight in ZZZ. We did this. Sometime after landing in ZZZ, my first officer was called by the company chief pilot. He said that any aborted takeoff requires a log in the aircraft log, and maintenance must be contacted. He said that maintenance must also provide us a control number. Maintenance never provided a control number and the aborted takeoff was not logged in the aircraft log since the regional chief said we only needed to file an occurrence report upon landing. I have discussed this rudder trim issue with other crj pilots, and they each have said they noticed occasionally the rudder trim has changed position during gusty surface winds like we had. Pilots have said they noticed this in the crj-200 and crj-900.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CANADAIR CL65 EXECUTED A LOW SPD ABORT DUE TO MASTER WARNING 'RUDDER MISTRIM.' FOUND RUDDER TRIM CTL SLIGHTLY OFF CTR. LOG ENTRY CONFUSION.

Narrative: WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF, SO WE TAXIED ONTO THE RWY AND COMPLETED THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST. THE LAST ITEM WAS FOR THE FO TO CHK, WE HAD A TKOF CONFIGN OK ADVISORY MESSAGE. HE VERIFIED THIS AND SO DID I. I STARTED APPLYING THRUST WHILE EXECUTING A ROLLING TKOF. AT APPROX 79% N1, WE RECEIVED A MASTER WARNING ANNUNCIATOR ALONG WITH A RUDDER MISTRIM WARNING EICAS MESSAGE. I EXECUTED A LOW SPD ABORTED TKOF AT APPROX 20 KTS. WE NOTIFIED TWR OF OUR ABORT AND TURNED OFF THE RWY. WE STOPPED THE ACFT AND NOTICED THE RUDDER TRIM WAS SLIGHTLY L OF CTR AND THE RUDDER NEEDLE WAS WHITE. I MOVED THE RUDDER TRIM IN BOTH DIRECTIONS AND RECTRED IT. IT APPEARED TO WORK NORMALLY. MY FO HAD HIS CELL PHONE HANDY, SO HE CALLED OUR COMPANY MAINT CTLR. WE TOLD HIM WHAT HAPPENED AND HE ASKED IF THE RUDDER TRIM APPEARED TO BE WORKING NORMALLY. WE TOLD HIM YES, AND ASKED IF WE NEEDED TO DOCUMENT THIS. HE SAID HE WASN'T SURE, BUT TO ASK OUR CHIEF PLT. THE FO CALLED OUR ZZZ REGIONAL CHIEF, BUT HE DIDN'T ANSWER. HE THEN CALLED THE COMPANY CHIEF PLT, BUT HE DIDN'T ANSWER. HE CALLED THE ZZZ1 CHIEF PLT -- WHO ANSWERED. MY FO TOLD HIM OF THE SIT. THE REGIONAL CHIEF SAID WE DID NOT NEED TO LOG A DISCREPANCY IN THE AIRPLANE LOG, BUT WE NEEDED TO FAX AN OCCURRENCE RPT REGARDING THE ABORTED TKOF UPON COMPLETION OF THE FLT IN ZZZ. WE DID THIS. SOMETIME AFTER LNDG IN ZZZ, MY FO WAS CALLED BY THE COMPANY CHIEF PLT. HE SAID THAT ANY ABORTED TKOF REQUIRES A LOG IN THE ACFT LOG, AND MAINT MUST BE CONTACTED. HE SAID THAT MAINT MUST ALSO PROVIDE US A CTL NUMBER. MAINT NEVER PROVIDED A CTL NUMBER AND THE ABORTED TKOF WAS NOT LOGGED IN THE ACFT LOG SINCE THE REGIONAL CHIEF SAID WE ONLY NEEDED TO FILE AN OCCURRENCE RPT UPON LNDG. I HAVE DISCUSSED THIS RUDDER TRIM ISSUE WITH OTHER CRJ PLTS, AND THEY EACH HAVE SAID THEY NOTICED OCCASIONALLY THE RUDDER TRIM HAS CHANGED POS DURING GUSTY SURFACE WINDS LIKE WE HAD. PLTS HAVE SAID THEY NOTICED THIS IN THE CRJ-200 AND CRJ-900.

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.