Narrative:

Took off from phx airport bound for dfw with full load of passenger. At about 15 mins after takeoff the flight called to speak with a maintenance coordinator. The left main gear did not retract. The crew went through the checklist with no change. The crew then went about confirming the gear was indeed down. They also wanted to check their fuel and etc and WX en route. I called them back after about 3-5 mins to check if the gear was down. I had asked for the captain and was told he was listening. The gear was indeed down and I asked the captain I had no way to compute 1 gear down fuel burn and that I was not comfortable with him continuing to dfw, that we did not know what the cause of the problem was and I wanted him to return to phx since he was not far out from phx. His concern was fuel burn but then he said he had enough. Well, company has no figures for 1 gear down. He was interpreting from 'all gear down ferry figures' he did not want to turn back. I briefly left the radio to check if data existed (in the meantime the flight asked radio to pass on to the dispatcher he was going on to dfw). First, he and the dispatcher must concur, which I did not. Second, he was not aware of en route WX nor destination WX. Third, somehow he got back on the radio (without his dispatcher) to talk to maintenance again (maintenance has no legal right to tell the pilot to continue on after I asked the captain to turn back) which they did. I came back and told the captain I had no data, and asked him his fuel flow (which indicated even at 30 percent more burn he would be okay) but nothing to confirm it either. I asked the captain his position and at that time he was over el paso, over half way. I went ahead and called dfw company operations and asked them to call out emergency equipment to be on the safe side, since no one knew the cause of the problem. The flight landed without incident and good on fuel. After I talked with the captain and he seemed to react with the idea that there was no problem and lack of understanding of the captain/dispatcher joint responsibility. Note: his first radio call was 135 mi out of phx.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR LGT FLEW PHX TO DFW WITH 1 MAIN GEAR EXTENDED.

Narrative: TOOK OFF FROM PHX ARPT BOUND FOR DFW WITH FULL LOAD OF PAX. AT ABOUT 15 MINS AFTER TKOF THE FLT CALLED TO SPEAK WITH A MAINT COORDINATOR. THE L MAIN GEAR DID NOT RETRACT. THE CREW WENT THROUGH THE CHKLIST WITH NO CHANGE. THE CREW THEN WENT ABOUT CONFIRMING THE GEAR WAS INDEED DOWN. THEY ALSO WANTED TO CHK THEIR FUEL AND ETC AND WX ENRTE. I CALLED THEM BACK AFTER ABOUT 3-5 MINS TO CHK IF THE GEAR WAS DOWN. I HAD ASKED FOR THE CAPT AND WAS TOLD HE WAS LISTENING. THE GEAR WAS INDEED DOWN AND I ASKED THE CAPT I HAD NO WAY TO COMPUTE 1 GEAR DOWN FUEL BURN AND THAT I WAS NOT COMFORTABLE WITH HIM CONTINUING TO DFW, THAT WE DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WAS AND I WANTED HIM TO RETURN TO PHX SINCE HE WAS NOT FAR OUT FROM PHX. HIS CONCERN WAS FUEL BURN BUT THEN HE SAID HE HAD ENOUGH. WELL, COMPANY HAS NO FIGURES FOR 1 GEAR DOWN. HE WAS INTERPRETING FROM 'ALL GEAR DOWN FERRY FIGURES' HE DID NOT WANT TO TURN BACK. I BRIEFLY LEFT THE RADIO TO CHK IF DATA EXISTED (IN THE MEANTIME THE FLT ASKED RADIO TO PASS ON TO THE DISPATCHER HE WAS GOING ON TO DFW). FIRST, HE AND THE DISPATCHER MUST CONCUR, WHICH I DID NOT. SECOND, HE WAS NOT AWARE OF ENRTE WX NOR DEST WX. THIRD, SOMEHOW HE GOT BACK ON THE RADIO (WITHOUT HIS DISPATCHER) TO TALK TO MAINT AGAIN (MAINT HAS NO LEGAL RIGHT TO TELL THE PLT TO CONTINUE ON AFTER I ASKED THE CAPT TO TURN BACK) WHICH THEY DID. I CAME BACK AND TOLD THE CAPT I HAD NO DATA, AND ASKED HIM HIS FUEL FLOW (WHICH INDICATED EVEN AT 30 PERCENT MORE BURN HE WOULD BE OKAY) BUT NOTHING TO CONFIRM IT EITHER. I ASKED THE CAPT HIS POS AND AT THAT TIME HE WAS OVER EL PASO, OVER HALF WAY. I WENT AHEAD AND CALLED DFW COMPANY OPS AND ASKED THEM TO CALL OUT EMER EQUIP TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE, SINCE NO ONE KNEW THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THE FLT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT AND GOOD ON FUEL. AFTER I TALKED WITH THE CAPT AND HE SEEMED TO REACT WITH THE IDEA THAT THERE WAS NO PROBLEM AND LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE CAPT/DISPATCHER JOINT RESPONSIBILITY. NOTE: HIS FIRST RADIO CALL WAS 135 MI OUT OF PHX.

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