Narrative:

All preflight inspections and checks were completed normally. Passenger were boarded and I began taxiing out. Taxi and before takeoff checklists were accomplished. Comair flight 4281 was clrd for takeoff and told to make a left turn after departure to 180 degrees and maintain 3000'. The wind was about 240 degrees at 15 KTS, gusting to 25 KTS. I applied takeoff power, all systems were normal. Upon reaching about 90 KTS, I noticed the aircraft drifting to the right of centerline which I thought was the wind. I was correcting the drift when V1 was announced and I began rotation. Immediately after liftoff, the aircraft wanted to yaw and roll to the right. I used full left aileron and rudder pressure to keep from rolling right and checked engine instruments and called for 'gear up.' I controled the aircraft to almost level with a slight yaw and roll to the right. I was unable to turn left as instructed and told tower we were unable to turn. I controled the aircraft and I asked the first officer to adjust the aileron trim to the left. She put in all left aileron trim and some rudder trim. As airspeed increased I had a little better control and made right traffic and returned for an uneventful landing. I had some difficulty during approach and landing, but kept the aircraft fairly straight and stable. I taxied to the gate and deplaned the passenger. My theory of what happened is that the rudder trim was almost full right prior to takeoff. The aircraft had just come out of an inspection and the trim was left at full travel. During the taxi check, I was taxiing around the ramp when the check for trim was done. I looked and adjusted the rudder trim to see the mark on the wheel and did not put my attention to the upper wheel with a notch which is supposed to be matched to the black mark. I had never had to readjust the rudder trim more than a little bit, but in this case I may have had to turn the trim wheel more than 1 turn to center it. A contributing factor may be that this trim wheel was dirty as was the centering indicator notch, thus making it hard to distinguish a true center position. I cannot actually confirm that the rudder trim was improperly set because at first I thought it was an aileron problem and went out and checked them. I then went inside to call maintenance. When I came out my first officer had moved all the controls and trim wheels to check for travel, so I didn't have their last position. Also, during preflight my first officer noticed the rudder trim not looking right. I briefly looked from far away and deducted that the control lock was not set and pushed the rudder in that direction.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW OF SMT ACR HAD DIFFICULTY CTLNG ACFT AFTER TKOF. RETURN AND LAND.

Narrative: ALL PREFLT INSPECTIONS AND CHKS WERE COMPLETED NORMALLY. PAX WERE BOARDED AND I BEGAN TAXIING OUT. TAXI AND BEFORE TKOF CHKLISTS WERE ACCOMPLISHED. COMAIR FLT 4281 WAS CLRD FOR TKOF AND TOLD TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AFTER DEP TO 180 DEGS AND MAINTAIN 3000'. THE WIND WAS ABOUT 240 DEGS AT 15 KTS, GUSTING TO 25 KTS. I APPLIED TKOF PWR, ALL SYSTEMS WERE NORMAL. UPON REACHING ABOUT 90 KTS, I NOTICED THE ACFT DRIFTING TO THE RIGHT OF CENTERLINE WHICH I THOUGHT WAS THE WIND. I WAS CORRECTING THE DRIFT WHEN V1 WAS ANNOUNCED AND I BEGAN ROTATION. IMMEDIATELY AFTER LIFTOFF, THE ACFT WANTED TO YAW AND ROLL TO THE RIGHT. I USED FULL LEFT AILERON AND RUDDER PRESSURE TO KEEP FROM ROLLING RIGHT AND CHKED ENG INSTRUMENTS AND CALLED FOR 'GEAR UP.' I CTLED THE ACFT TO ALMOST LEVEL WITH A SLIGHT YAW AND ROLL TO THE RIGHT. I WAS UNABLE TO TURN LEFT AS INSTRUCTED AND TOLD TWR WE WERE UNABLE TO TURN. I CTLED THE ACFT AND I ASKED THE F/O TO ADJUST THE AILERON TRIM TO THE LEFT. SHE PUT IN ALL LEFT AILERON TRIM AND SOME RUDDER TRIM. AS AIRSPD INCREASED I HAD A LITTLE BETTER CTL AND MADE RIGHT TFC AND RETURNED FOR AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. I HAD SOME DIFFICULTY DURING APCH AND LNDG, BUT KEPT THE ACFT FAIRLY STRAIGHT AND STABLE. I TAXIED TO THE GATE AND DEPLANED THE PAX. MY THEORY OF WHAT HAPPENED IS THAT THE RUDDER TRIM WAS ALMOST FULL RIGHT PRIOR TO TKOF. THE ACFT HAD JUST COME OUT OF AN INSPECTION AND THE TRIM WAS LEFT AT FULL TRAVEL. DURING THE TAXI CHK, I WAS TAXIING AROUND THE RAMP WHEN THE CHK FOR TRIM WAS DONE. I LOOKED AND ADJUSTED THE RUDDER TRIM TO SEE THE MARK ON THE WHEEL AND DID NOT PUT MY ATTN TO THE UPPER WHEEL WITH A NOTCH WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE MATCHED TO THE BLACK MARK. I HAD NEVER HAD TO READJUST THE RUDDER TRIM MORE THAN A LITTLE BIT, BUT IN THIS CASE I MAY HAVE HAD TO TURN THE TRIM WHEEL MORE THAN 1 TURN TO CENTER IT. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR MAY BE THAT THIS TRIM WHEEL WAS DIRTY AS WAS THE CENTERING INDICATOR NOTCH, THUS MAKING IT HARD TO DISTINGUISH A TRUE CENTER POS. I CANNOT ACTUALLY CONFIRM THAT THE RUDDER TRIM WAS IMPROPERLY SET BECAUSE AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS AN AILERON PROB AND WENT OUT AND CHKED THEM. I THEN WENT INSIDE TO CALL MAINT. WHEN I CAME OUT MY F/O HAD MOVED ALL THE CTLS AND TRIM WHEELS TO CHK FOR TRAVEL, SO I DIDN'T HAVE THEIR LAST POS. ALSO, DURING PREFLT MY F/O NOTICED THE RUDDER TRIM NOT LOOKING RIGHT. I BRIEFLY LOOKED FROM FAR AWAY AND DEDUCTED THAT THE CTL LOCK WAS NOT SET AND PUSHED THE RUDDER IN THAT DIRECTION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.