Narrative:

We took off in an mdt on this fri morning, during strong gusty and windy conditions caused by the approaching hurricane hugo. I (PIC) was flying and when I called for gear up, the gear did not retract. The mdt has an alternate gear extension system by means of an alternate gear extension door mounted in the ceiling of the cockpit, located at the right center side of the cockpit. This door has to be closed at all times, and the position has to be checked during the originating checklist. If it is not closed, the gear doesn't come up. During the checks I had opened it and I had pulled the alternate gear extension release handle to open all the gear doors for an outside preflight. After that, I had closed the door. During the preflight checks, the door seemed to be closed. When the gear did not come up, I looked up and the door seemed to be closed. Besides that, we did not have any yellow gear door light indication that the doors were open. I recycled the gear--nothing happened. I checked that the gear pins were stowed and decided to return for landing at norfolk airport, where we departed. The WX was so bad and so turbulent that I did not do any further troubleshooting; I had my hands full flying and my first officer was looking at the radar, since we were almost IFR at that time and black clouds were ahead of us. We maintained VFR and joined a left downwind for runway 5 in norfolk. When we taxied in, the mechanic of our company that parked us pointed at the gear doors and made clear that they were open. I shut the engines down. I opened the gear extensions door and the yellow lights came on, and I closed the alternate extension gear door again. We found that the alternate extension gear handle was twisted and prevented the door to close completely, although it looked completely closed during our preflight check and in the air. We started up again and the door closed normally. Conclusion: open the alternate gear extension curing the preflight to check and be sure the handle is not twisted so that the door closes completely. Supplemental information from acn 123577: recommendation: a microswitch linked to a caution light should be fitted to the alternate release door, which illuminates when the door is not fully closed. After this event, I found out several other crews have had the same problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WX FACTORS COMPOUND EQUIPMENT OPERATING PROC. ACFT RETURNS TO DEP ARPT WHEN UNABLE TO RETRACT LNDG GEAR.

Narrative: WE TOOK OFF IN AN MDT ON THIS FRI MORNING, DURING STRONG GUSTY AND WINDY CONDITIONS CAUSED BY THE APCHING HURRICANE HUGO. I (PIC) WAS FLYING AND WHEN I CALLED FOR GEAR UP, THE GEAR DID NOT RETRACT. THE MDT HAS AN ALTERNATE GEAR EXTENSION SYS BY MEANS OF AN ALTERNATE GEAR EXTENSION DOOR MOUNTED IN THE CEILING OF THE COCKPIT, LOCATED AT THE RIGHT CENTER SIDE OF THE COCKPIT. THIS DOOR HAS TO BE CLOSED AT ALL TIMES, AND THE POS HAS TO BE CHKED DURING THE ORIGINATING CHKLIST. IF IT IS NOT CLOSED, THE GEAR DOESN'T COME UP. DURING THE CHKS I HAD OPENED IT AND I HAD PULLED THE ALTERNATE GEAR EXTENSION RELEASE HANDLE TO OPEN ALL THE GEAR DOORS FOR AN OUTSIDE PREFLT. AFTER THAT, I HAD CLOSED THE DOOR. DURING THE PREFLT CHKS, THE DOOR SEEMED TO BE CLOSED. WHEN THE GEAR DID NOT COME UP, I LOOKED UP AND THE DOOR SEEMED TO BE CLOSED. BESIDES THAT, WE DID NOT HAVE ANY YELLOW GEAR DOOR LIGHT INDICATION THAT THE DOORS WERE OPEN. I RECYCLED THE GEAR--NOTHING HAPPENED. I CHKED THAT THE GEAR PINS WERE STOWED AND DECIDED TO RETURN FOR LNDG AT NORFOLK ARPT, WHERE WE DEPARTED. THE WX WAS SO BAD AND SO TURBULENT THAT I DID NOT DO ANY FURTHER TROUBLESHOOTING; I HAD MY HANDS FULL FLYING AND MY F/O WAS LOOKING AT THE RADAR, SINCE WE WERE ALMOST IFR AT THAT TIME AND BLACK CLOUDS WERE AHEAD OF US. WE MAINTAINED VFR AND JOINED A LEFT DOWNWIND FOR RWY 5 IN NORFOLK. WHEN WE TAXIED IN, THE MECH OF OUR COMPANY THAT PARKED US POINTED AT THE GEAR DOORS AND MADE CLEAR THAT THEY WERE OPEN. I SHUT THE ENGS DOWN. I OPENED THE GEAR EXTENSIONS DOOR AND THE YELLOW LIGHTS CAME ON, AND I CLOSED THE ALTERNATE EXTENSION GEAR DOOR AGAIN. WE FOUND THAT THE ALTERNATE EXTENSION GEAR HANDLE WAS TWISTED AND PREVENTED THE DOOR TO CLOSE COMPLETELY, ALTHOUGH IT LOOKED COMPLETELY CLOSED DURING OUR PREFLT CHK AND IN THE AIR. WE STARTED UP AGAIN AND THE DOOR CLOSED NORMALLY. CONCLUSION: OPEN THE ALTERNATE GEAR EXTENSION CURING THE PREFLT TO CHK AND BE SURE THE HANDLE IS NOT TWISTED SO THAT THE DOOR CLOSES COMPLETELY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 123577: RECOMMENDATION: A MICROSWITCH LINKED TO A CAUTION LIGHT SHOULD BE FITTED TO THE ALTERNATE RELEASE DOOR, WHICH ILLUMINATES WHEN THE DOOR IS NOT FULLY CLOSED. AFTER THIS EVENT, I FOUND OUT SEVERAL OTHER CREWS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROB.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.