A B767-300ER REPEAT LOG WRITE-UP FOR A NOSE WHEEL SHIMMY ON TAKEOFF AND WHEEL RETRACTION. LEFT NOSE WHEEL SPACER (WASHER) NOT INSTALLED.

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ACFT CAME IN WITH A PLT WRITE-UP; WHICH WAS ALSO A REPEAT OF NOSE SHIMMY ON TKOF AND WHEEL RETRACTION. BEFORE THE PREVIOUS FLT LEG THE R NOSE TIRE WAS CHANGED. IN KEEPING WITH THE APPLICABLE FIM AND AMM IT CAME DOWN TO REPLACING THE L NOSE TIRE IN ORDER TO MORE EVENLY MATCH-UP TIRE WEAR AND TREAD. THE TIRE WAS CHANGED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMM. THE FLT WAS NEARING DEP TIME AND OBVIOUSLY RUSHED; I INADVERTENTLY FORGOT TO REINSTALL THE NOSE TIRE ASSEMBLY WASHER. IN 19 YRS AS A CERTIFIED A&P MECH I'VE NEVER MADE SUCH A SERIOUS MISTAKE AND IN THE FUTURE WILL SLOW DOWN SO AS NOT TO REPEAT THIS MISTAKE AGAIN. I WAS MADE AWARE OF THIS INCIDENT BY MAINT CTL THIS MORNING AND AM NOT AWARE OF ANY DAMAGE BEING INFLICTED UPON THE ACFT OR TIRE ASSEMBLY AT THIS TIME. THIS STATEMENT HAS BEEN RECALLED TO THE BEST OF MY RECOLLECTION AND KNOWLEDGE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS ACFT HAD AN EXTERNALLY THREADED NOSE WHEEL AXLE. THE MAINT MANUAL DOES HAVE AN ILLUSTRATION SHOWING THE SPACER IN THE TIRE/WHEEL REPLACEMENT; HE JUST DID NOT REMEMBER TO RE-INSTALL THE AXLE SPACER (WASHER).