CL65 Flight Crew reports strong vibration in nose gear as power is set for takeoff. Aircraft also starts to pull left and takeoff is aborted at about 40 KTS.
Synopsis
CL65 Flight Crew reports strong vibration in nose gear as power is set for takeoff. Aircraft also starts to pull left and takeoff is aborted at about 40 KTS.
Narrative
The Captain advanced the thrust levers and commanded the First Officer to set thrust. At this point a vibration in the nose gear was felt and became increasingly violent. About 40 KTS an aborted take off was accomplished. During the abort the aircraft pulled hard left; but was brought back to the centerline with rudder and brake inputs. The Captain instructed the First Officer to advise ATC of our abort on the runway with a possible blown nose tire and declare an emergency. A PA was made to the passengers to inform them of our situation and that they were safe; and please remain seated. The Flight Attendant was then contacted on the interphone and informed of the same and that we would pass along more information to him shortly. Crash Fire Rescue (CFR) advised the crew that there was no visible damage to the nose gear; just the steering linkage was no longer connected. The aircraft was towed to the gate where maintenance told the crew there was no damage and the aircraft could be returned to service. The crew declined this aircraft for two reasons. The crew felt a more thorough inspection was warranted and the passengers were rather shaken up by the event and using one of the spare aircraft would lessen their apprehension. The spare was boarded and departed uneventfully.The linkage is normally disconnected and reconnected by the ramp agents during the pushback process. If it could be determined that there was no mechanical failure; then addition training for the push crew might be in order. I have personal experience as a push crew on this aircraft and found that sometimes the pins don't seat fully. Grabbing the lower linkage; jiggling it and gently pushing in on the pins usually works. However; the nose gear assembly is usually covered in dirt and old hydraulic fluid which deters many of us from touching it since we value our skin. Maybe cleaning this area regularly or using gloves would encourage ramp workers to become more personal when reconnecting the linkage. If a mechanical failure occurred; then worn or damaged parts should obviously be replaced.
Second reporter narrative
The aircraft appeared to taxi and steer without incident out to the runway; with turns of left 90 degrees and right 180 degrees respectively. Either the scissors were incorrectly connected in which case additional training for ground handling personnel is required. Or the scissors joints are becoming worn and the pins are able to fall out of place which would require an additional inspection of this equipment. From my perspective there is nothing that we could have accomplished as aircrew to ascertain the situation prior to the onset of shimmy and yaw.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.