Air carrier unable to retract nose gear after takeoff. Return land.

Attributes
ACN	225574
Time
Date	199211
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : sea
State Reference	WA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 1000 msl bound upper : 1000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : sea tower : okc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff landing other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 20000 flight time type : 3000
ASRS Report	225574
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

First flight of day. Gear pins left installed by maintenance after doing some work on nose gear approximately switch. First officer did not remove pins since he was not sure that maintenance was complete. Operations was called and he verified with contract maintenance that all work was complete. Since we were already in cockpit, ready to go, operations agent pulled pins for us. We assumed that he had pulled 3 pins and did not count them ourselves. Nose gear did not retract after takeoff. After returning to airport, we found nose gear pin still installed. The moral of the story is to make no assumptions that maintenance or ground personnel know what they are doing and verify personally that aircraft is ready for flight, and count the pins!

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR UNABLE TO RETRACT NOSE GEAR AFTER TKOF. RETURN LAND.

Narrative: FIRST FLT OF DAY. GEAR PINS LEFT INSTALLED BY MAINT AFTER DOING SOME WORK ON NOSE GEAR APPROX SWITCH. FO DID NOT REMOVE PINS SINCE HE WAS NOT SURE THAT MAINT WAS COMPLETE. OPS WAS CALLED AND HE VERIFIED WITH CONTRACT MAINT THAT ALL WORK WAS COMPLETE. SINCE WE WERE ALREADY IN COCKPIT, READY TO GO, OPS AGENT PULLED PINS FOR US. WE ASSUMED THAT HE HAD PULLED 3 PINS AND DID NOT COUNT THEM OURSELVES. NOSE GEAR DID NOT RETRACT AFTER TKOF. AFTER RETURNING TO ARPT, WE FOUND NOSE GEAR PIN STILL INSTALLED. THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS TO MAKE NO ASSUMPTIONS THAT MAINT OR GND PERSONNEL KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND VERIFY PERSONALLY THAT ACFT IS READY FOR FLT, AND COUNT THE PINS!

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.