Narrative:

First leg of day depart lit gate, cleared runway 04. Taxi parallel taxiway fox to golf. Taxiway fox closed after golf. Runway 04 cutback 1300. Cleared to taxi onto runway 04-22 and back taxi to displaced threshold for 180 degree turn. Taxiway golf is slight angle highspeed for runway 22 landing. I taxi onto runway hugging northwest side of runway 04-22 and start transition to south side of runway to get to runway edge on captain side of aircraft. I taxi southwest past displaced threshold to align myself with runway edge before initiating turn. Tower is saying I have taxied past displaced threshold. I tell first officer to advise I need room to turn and pull us past threshold for full length use. There are men working on damaged approach end of runway 04, 800'-1000' away. Runway is 150' wide. Minimum turn radius for medium large transport is 95'. I estimate I have 125' to turn. Turn initiated to right appears normal, then appears to widen. Control wheel binds and I am using both hands to turn. First officer says I've got room to make it. I look and decide to stop, just as I feel nosewheel grab mud. I don't try to continue so as to avoid damage. I advise tower and call company maintenance. After waiting over 30 min for airport escort, maintenance arrives and says nosewheel is about 2' off runway edge. Aircraft towed to gate and inspected. No damage. Nose gear serviced and turning check made. Turns with wheel are stiff with aircraft sitting still. Maintenance says nosewheel is making full turn to either side. I agree to redispatch to mem. Right turn onto runway 04, control wheel stiff. Takeoff from taxiway golf with cut back figures is normal. On arrival at mem I experience very stiff control wheel movement on right turn into gate. Logbook entry made. Maintenance jacks up aircraft. Right turns to full 82 degree deflection of nosewheel were 'two handed' maneuvers with turn to left near normal. I moved wheel back and forth to each side as maintenance greased steering unit. Maintenance advised that quite a lot of grease was moved. This vastly improved control. Dispatched mem-atl. Logbook entry made in atlanta advising of improved but still stiff steering to right. I discussed write up with maintenance prior to leaving aircraft. I subsequently returned to this same aircraft 20 mins later on a reroute. Maintenance and a 'specialty crew' from technical operations center were working on the aircraft. Quite a lot of banging was going on on the nose gear. After being fully assured of normal aircraft steering, I dispatched ar-cae-atl. This time the aircraft steering was a whole new ball game. Easy smooth control, each direction, no binding. This aircraft had a previous history of maintenance of nosegear. While the greasing of the unit certainly helped, I feel I was not getting proper hydraulic assist in my right hand turns. Whatever was done in atl solved the problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG EXPERIENCES LOW SPEED RWY EXCURSION WHILE EXECUTING 180 DEG TURN.

Narrative: FIRST LEG OF DAY DEPART LIT GATE, CLRED RWY 04. TAXI PARALLEL TXWY FOX TO GOLF. TXWY FOX CLOSED AFTER GOLF. RWY 04 CUTBACK 1300. CLRED TO TAXI ONTO RWY 04-22 AND BACK TAXI TO DISPLACED THRESHOLD FOR 180 DEG TURN. TXWY GOLF IS SLIGHT ANGLE HIGHSPEED FOR RWY 22 LNDG. I TAXI ONTO RWY HUGGING NW SIDE OF RWY 04-22 AND START TRANSITION TO S SIDE OF RWY TO GET TO RWY EDGE ON CAPT SIDE OF ACFT. I TAXI SW PAST DISPLACED THRESHOLD TO ALIGN MYSELF WITH RWY EDGE BEFORE INITIATING TURN. TWR IS SAYING I HAVE TAXIED PAST DISPLACED THRESHOLD. I TELL F/O TO ADVISE I NEED ROOM TO TURN AND PULL US PAST THRESHOLD FOR FULL LENGTH USE. THERE ARE MEN WORKING ON DAMAGED APCH END OF RWY 04, 800'-1000' AWAY. RWY IS 150' WIDE. MINIMUM TURN RADIUS FOR MLG IS 95'. I ESTIMATE I HAVE 125' TO TURN. TURN INITIATED TO R APPEARS NORMAL, THEN APPEARS TO WIDEN. CONTROL WHEEL BINDS AND I AM USING BOTH HANDS TO TURN. F/O SAYS I'VE GOT ROOM TO MAKE IT. I LOOK AND DECIDE TO STOP, JUST AS I FEEL NOSEWHEEL GRAB MUD. I DON'T TRY TO CONTINUE SO AS TO AVOID DAMAGE. I ADVISE TWR AND CALL COMPANY MAINT. AFTER WAITING OVER 30 MIN FOR ARPT ESCORT, MAINT ARRIVES AND SAYS NOSEWHEEL IS ABOUT 2' OFF RWY EDGE. ACFT TOWED TO GATE AND INSPECTED. NO DAMAGE. NOSE GEAR SERVICED AND TURNING CHK MADE. TURNS WITH WHEEL ARE STIFF WITH ACFT SITTING STILL. MAINT SAYS NOSEWHEEL IS MAKING FULL TURN TO EITHER SIDE. I AGREE TO REDISPATCH TO MEM. R TURN ONTO RWY 04, CONTROL WHEEL STIFF. TKOF FROM TXWY GOLF WITH CUT BACK FIGURES IS NORMAL. ON ARR AT MEM I EXPERIENCE VERY STIFF CONTROL WHEEL MOVEMENT ON R TURN INTO GATE. LOGBOOK ENTRY MADE. MAINT JACKS UP ACFT. R TURNS TO FULL 82 DEG DEFLECTION OF NOSEWHEEL WERE 'TWO HANDED' MANEUVERS WITH TURN TO L NEAR NORMAL. I MOVED WHEEL BACK AND FORTH TO EACH SIDE AS MAINT GREASED STEERING UNIT. MAINT ADVISED THAT QUITE A LOT OF GREASE WAS MOVED. THIS VASTLY IMPROVED CONTROL. DISPATCHED MEM-ATL. LOGBOOK ENTRY MADE IN ATLANTA ADVISING OF IMPROVED BUT STILL STIFF STEERING TO R. I DISCUSSED WRITE UP WITH MAINT PRIOR TO LEAVING ACFT. I SUBSEQUENTLY RETURNED TO THIS SAME ACFT 20 MINS LATER ON A REROUTE. MAINT AND A 'SPECIALTY CREW' FROM TECHNICAL OPS CENTER WERE WORKING ON THE ACFT. QUITE A LOT OF BANGING WAS GOING ON ON THE NOSE GEAR. AFTER BEING FULLY ASSURED OF NORMAL ACFT STEERING, I DISPATCHED AR-CAE-ATL. THIS TIME THE ACFT STEERING WAS A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME. EASY SMOOTH CONTROL, EACH DIRECTION, NO BINDING. THIS ACFT HAD A PREVIOUS HISTORY OF MAINT OF NOSEGEAR. WHILE THE GREASING OF THE UNIT CERTAINLY HELPED, I FEEL I WAS NOT GETTING PROPER HYDRAULIC ASSIST IN MY R HAND TURNS. WHATEVER WAS DONE IN ATL SOLVED THE PROB.

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.