Narrative:

On initial taxi out from the dca gate; I performed a rudder control check. The rudder felt rather stiff; more so than normal. I was very slowly taxiing straight ahead. There was a tailwind of about 7 KTS the direction I was pointed; and there was some slushy residue on the taxiway. I made a slight turn during my taxi and tried the rudder check again. This time it was not stiff; the full throw left was fine; the full throw right was a bit spongy feeling at the end of the full throw right. I have had this particular item occur many times on the MD80; and it is always when steering with the tiller; holding the tiller steady while taxiing; but in a turn. The operating manual says to hold the tiller steady while performing the rudder check. When holding it steady in a slight turn; it influences the rudder check at full throw as described. I thought I must have been holding the tiller off from center. As I taxied straight down the taxiway centerline; I tried it again and got a normal check. I repeated this twice more with the same results. I thought I must have had the tiller in a turn when initially making the check so I thought the final rudder check results were a correct indication of no rudder binding. In-flight; I wondered if having a bit of slush on the taxiway might have been the problem. It might have influenced the tiller position during taxi. On arrival at ZZZ; I did another rudder check on taxi in on a completely dry surface to see if my slush idea might be the cause. What I found was with the tiller centered completely (white stripe on the tiller aligned with the tiller shroud white stripe) the rudder was now very; very stiff to move. Moving the tiller a small amount to the right made it less stiff; but still very stiff. Moving the tiller to the left freed up the rudder to feeling normal to the left; slightly spongy to the right. I decided that the good checks I got at dca must have been with the tiller slightly left of center. I did not notice the stripe position on taxi out. I also decided that it appeared the cabling for the tiller must be off; so that the centered tiller gave a feel like a turned tiller normally did. I wrote up the tiller in the logbook on arrival at the gate in ZZZ. I still am certain that full throw of the rudder was available. I wrote the tiller up because it seemed to be worse than when we started; and when observing the stripe line-up it was clear to me that normal feel occurred with a slight left of center tiller. That condition needed to be investigated further. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter believed the steering and rudder problem was caused by taxiing through slush and wet snow but had the same rudder stiffness on dry pavement. Then it was noted the tiller did not align with the tiller ctring stripe and the tiller needed slight left displacement to steer straight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD80 DISPLAYED SOME RUDDER STIFFNESS WHILE TAXIING. FOUND NOSE STEERING TILLER NOT ALIGNED WITH TILLER CTRING STRIPE.

Narrative: ON INITIAL TAXI OUT FROM THE DCA GATE; I PERFORMED A RUDDER CTL CHK. THE RUDDER FELT RATHER STIFF; MORE SO THAN NORMAL. I WAS VERY SLOWLY TAXIING STRAIGHT AHEAD. THERE WAS A TAILWIND OF ABOUT 7 KTS THE DIRECTION I WAS POINTED; AND THERE WAS SOME SLUSHY RESIDUE ON THE TXWY. I MADE A SLIGHT TURN DURING MY TAXI AND TRIED THE RUDDER CHK AGAIN. THIS TIME IT WAS NOT STIFF; THE FULL THROW L WAS FINE; THE FULL THROW R WAS A BIT SPONGY FEELING AT THE END OF THE FULL THROW R. I HAVE HAD THIS PARTICULAR ITEM OCCUR MANY TIMES ON THE MD80; AND IT IS ALWAYS WHEN STEERING WITH THE TILLER; HOLDING THE TILLER STEADY WHILE TAXIING; BUT IN A TURN. THE OPERATING MANUAL SAYS TO HOLD THE TILLER STEADY WHILE PERFORMING THE RUDDER CHK. WHEN HOLDING IT STEADY IN A SLIGHT TURN; IT INFLUENCES THE RUDDER CHK AT FULL THROW AS DESCRIBED. I THOUGHT I MUST HAVE BEEN HOLDING THE TILLER OFF FROM CTR. AS I TAXIED STRAIGHT DOWN THE TXWY CTRLINE; I TRIED IT AGAIN AND GOT A NORMAL CHK. I REPEATED THIS TWICE MORE WITH THE SAME RESULTS. I THOUGHT I MUST HAVE HAD THE TILLER IN A TURN WHEN INITIALLY MAKING THE CHK SO I THOUGHT THE FINAL RUDDER CHK RESULTS WERE A CORRECT INDICATION OF NO RUDDER BINDING. INFLT; I WONDERED IF HAVING A BIT OF SLUSH ON THE TXWY MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE PROB. IT MIGHT HAVE INFLUENCED THE TILLER POS DURING TAXI. ON ARR AT ZZZ; I DID ANOTHER RUDDER CHK ON TAXI IN ON A COMPLETELY DRY SURFACE TO SEE IF MY SLUSH IDEA MIGHT BE THE CAUSE. WHAT I FOUND WAS WITH THE TILLER CTRED COMPLETELY (WHITE STRIPE ON THE TILLER ALIGNED WITH THE TILLER SHROUD WHITE STRIPE) THE RUDDER WAS NOW VERY; VERY STIFF TO MOVE. MOVING THE TILLER A SMALL AMOUNT TO THE R MADE IT LESS STIFF; BUT STILL VERY STIFF. MOVING THE TILLER TO THE L FREED UP THE RUDDER TO FEELING NORMAL TO THE L; SLIGHTLY SPONGY TO THE R. I DECIDED THAT THE GOOD CHKS I GOT AT DCA MUST HAVE BEEN WITH THE TILLER SLIGHTLY L OF CTR. I DID NOT NOTICE THE STRIPE POS ON TAXI OUT. I ALSO DECIDED THAT IT APPEARED THE CABLING FOR THE TILLER MUST BE OFF; SO THAT THE CTRED TILLER GAVE A FEEL LIKE A TURNED TILLER NORMALLY DID. I WROTE UP THE TILLER IN THE LOGBOOK ON ARR AT THE GATE IN ZZZ. I STILL AM CERTAIN THAT FULL THROW OF THE RUDDER WAS AVAILABLE. I WROTE THE TILLER UP BECAUSE IT SEEMED TO BE WORSE THAN WHEN WE STARTED; AND WHEN OBSERVING THE STRIPE LINE-UP IT WAS CLR TO ME THAT NORMAL FEEL OCCURRED WITH A SLIGHT L OF CTR TILLER. THAT CONDITION NEEDED TO BE INVESTIGATED FURTHER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR BELIEVED THE STEERING AND RUDDER PROB WAS CAUSED BY TAXIING THROUGH SLUSH AND WET SNOW BUT HAD THE SAME RUDDER STIFFNESS ON DRY PAVEMENT. THEN IT WAS NOTED THE TILLER DID NOT ALIGN WITH THE TILLER CTRING STRIPE AND THE TILLER NEEDED SLIGHT L DISPLACEMENT TO STEER STRAIGHT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.