A CL65 AFTER TKOF AND GEAR RETRACTION DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO CHRONIC EICAS WARNING 'STEERING INOP.'

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ON THE MORNING OF MAR/XA/01; I OPERATED A FLT FROM XYZ-ZZZ. CREW INCLUDED FO AND FLT ATTENDANT. WE HAD 15 PAX ON BOARD. FOLLOWING GEAR RETRACTION; EICAS MESSAGE 'STEERING INOP' (AMBER) POSTED. WE RAN THE QRH; WHICH DIRECTS YOU TO RECYCLE THE SWITCH; BUT THE MESSAGED RE-POSTED. QRH DIRECTS NO FURTHER ACTION REQUIRED (AFTER SYS SELECTED OFF). WE THEN CALLED COMPANY OPS AND ASKED THEM TO ADVISE MAINT ABOUT THE FAULT AND ASKED IF THEY KNEW ANY SOLUTIONS WE COULD ATTEMPT IN THE AIR. THIS CONVERSATION ENDED UP ON COMMERCIAL RADIO WITH BOTH OUR DISPATCH D2 AND MAINT ON THE CALL. IT WAS RESOLVED THAT WE COULD NOT FIX THE PROB IN THE AIR; AND THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO LAND WITHOUT NOSEWHEEL STEERING. I ADVISED MAINT AND DISPATCH THAT WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CLR THE RWY UPON ARR AND THAT WE MIGHT CONSIDER A DIVERSION EITHER BACK TO XYZ OR POSSIBLY TO XZZ. DISPATCH ADVISED THAT WE WERE TO CONTINUE TO ZZZ. WINDS AND WX MADE THIS A VIABLE OPTION; AND SINCE AT THE TIME WE DID NOT VIEW THIS AS AN EMER SIT; WE AGREED. I ASKED DISPATCH TO ARRANGE FOR OUR ARR DIRECTLY WITH ZZZ TWR AND COMPANY AND TO COORDINATE HAVING THE ACFT TOWED TO THE GATE. I MADE A FULL BRIEFING TO THE CREW AND PAX. UPON ARR IN THE TERMINAL AREA OF ZZZ; I CONTACTED COMPANY OPS AND ASKED THEM THE STATUS OF THE ARRANGEMENTS AND WHAT RWY ZZZ TWR HAD ADVISED US TO EXPECT. ZZZ OPS WAS APPARENTLY UNAWARE OF OUR SIT; SO I BRIEFED THEM AND ASKED THEM TO CALL THE TWR. THEY FOUND THAT THE TWR EXPECTED US TO LAND ON RWY 9L. WINDS WERE 340 DEGS AT 12 KTS WITH 2000 FT SCATTERED. THE FO AND I HAD EXPECTED AND BRIEFED RWY 32R DUE TO ITS ALIGNMENT AND LENGTH. AT THAT TIME; COMPANY CALLED BACK AND ADVISED US THAT DISPATCH WANTED US TO CALL VIA COMMERCIAL RADIO AND ALSO TO DECLARE AN EMER. DURING THE CONVERSATION WITH DISPATCH; I WAS ADVISED THAT THE CITY OF ZZZ EXPECTED ANY ACFT THAT WANTED A RWY OTHER THAN THOSE IN OP AT THE TIME TO DECLARE AN EMER. WE ADVISED ZZZ APCH OF OUR INTENTIONS AND WERE ISSUED RWY 32R. ACFT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT; AND WE STOPPED ON THE RWY AND WAITED FOR A TUG TO TOW US TO THE GATE. NO DAMAGE OR OTHER DEFECTS WERE NOTED BY MECHS UPON ARR. ACFT WAS TOWED TO THE GATE. NO PAX OR CREW WERE INJURED; NOR WAS THE ACFT DAMAGED. ACFT MALFUNCTION WAS NOTED IN THE MAINT LOG.