A CRJ700 ON LNDG ROLLOUT EXPERIENCED A RWY EXCURSION DUE TO STEERING CTL LOSS. STEERING TILLER WAS MOVED PRIOR TO NOSE GEAR STRUT COMPRESSION.

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FLT WAS VECTORED TO FINAL APCH RWY 14R AT ZZZ. RWY 14R LENGTH IS 13000 FT. THE FO LANDED ON SPD AND CTRLINE IN THE TOUCHDOWN ZONE. HE APPLIED REVERSE WHILE LOWERING THE NOSE TO THE RWY. WHEN I SAID 'MY ACFT;' CTL WAS XFERRED. WITHIN ABOUT 5 SECONDS FROM THE COMPLETION OF XFER; I HEARD A SINGLE CHIME AND SAW THE EICAS MESSAGE NOTIFYING ME THAT THE NOSE STEERING HAD FAILED. I TRACKED CTRLINE WITH RUDDER AND DIFFERENTIAL PWR WHILE SLOWING THE ACFT. AS THE SPD SLOWED; THE RUDDER BECAME LESS EFFECTIVE AND THE ACFT STARTED TO DRIFT L OF THE CTRLINE BY ABOUT 20 FT. AT APPROX 15 KTS; THE ACFT SUDDENLY TURNED MORE L. THE NOSEWHEEL AND L MAIN DEPARTED THE PAVEMENT ONTO THE GRASS. THE R MAIN REMAINED ON THE RWY PAVEMENT. I NOTIFIED THE FLT ATTENDANT AND COMPANY AND MADE A PA TO THE PAX EXPLAINING THAT WE WERE SLIGHTLY OFF THE RWY AND THAT I HAD REQUESTED A BUS TO TAKE THEM AND THEIR LUGGAGE INTO THE TERMINAL. BOTH FLT ATTENDANTS WENT WITH THE PAX AND THE FO AND I REMAINED WITH THE ACFT FOR APPROX 90 MINS UNTIL WE WERE TRANSPORTED BY CAR TO THE CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE FOR DRUG TESTING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THERE WAS NO MECHANICAL FAILURE OF THE NOSE GEAR GND STEERING MECHANISM; ONLY A MOVEMENT OF THE STEERING TILLER PRIOR TO THE NOSE GEAR STRUT COMPRESSION. THE RPTR SAID THE XFER OF CTL FROM THE FO TO THE CAPT MUST BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH THE NOSE STRUT COMPRESSED ACTIVATING THE NOSE GEAR STEERING. THE RPTR STATED THE FO BELIEVED THE NOSE STRUT WAS COMPRESSED AND GND SHIFT HAD OCCURRED AND XFERRED CTL. HE SAID THE STEERING TILLER WAS MOVED AND THE NOSE STEERING DISCONNECTED AS THE NOSE STRUT WAS NOT FULLY COMPRESSED. THE RPTR STATED THE ACFT HAD NO DAMAGE.