Narrative:

Both main landing gear doors were found to be open on preflight walk around inspection performed by so. Safety bypass handles were placed in the down and locked position. During pushback from the gate and subsequent engine start gear doors remained open indicating that the bypass handles had not been stowed by the ground personnel prior to pushback. The flight crew discussed the situation at that time and decided against having the pushback crew stow the handles at this time. Considerations at this point were the potentially dangerous situation of having an unqualified ramp worker (no maintenance personnel were involved with this pushback) operating the gear bypass handles with the a system hydraulics pressurized. The gear doors are designed to retract normally during landing gear retraction regardless of the position of the bypass handles so the flight crew elected to continue out for takeoff. Takeoff was normal and uneventful. After takeoff upon gear retraction, right main landing gear door closed as advertised but left gear door remained down and locked. Returned to mco where maintenance personnel discovered that the left gear bypass handle had a part broken which prevented the door from retracting. Lessons learned: a short delay at the ramp to have a qualified mechanic come out to stow the bypass handles would have saved the inconvenience and expense of an in-flight abnormality which led to a return to departure airport.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A MAIN LNDG GEAR WHEEL DOOR FAILED TO CLOSE AFTER TKOF RESULTING IN A RETURN LAND.

Narrative: BOTH MAIN LNDG GEAR DOORS WERE FOUND TO BE OPEN ON PREFLT WALK AROUND INSPECTION PERFORMED BY SO. SAFETY BYPASS HANDLES WERE PLACED IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POS. DURING PUSHBACK FROM THE GATE AND SUBSEQUENT ENG START GEAR DOORS REMAINED OPEN INDICATING THAT THE BYPASS HANDLES HAD NOT BEEN STOWED BY THE GND PERSONNEL PRIOR TO PUSHBACK. THE FLC DISCUSSED THE SIT AT THAT TIME AND DECIDED AGAINST HAVING THE PUSHBACK CREW STOW THE HANDLES AT THIS TIME. CONSIDERATIONS AT THIS POINT WERE THE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SIT OF HAVING AN UNQUALIFIED RAMP WORKER (NO MAINT PERSONNEL WERE INVOLVED WITH THIS PUSHBACK) OPERATING THE GEAR BYPASS HANDLES WITH THE A SYS HYDS PRESSURIZED. THE GEAR DOORS ARE DESIGNED TO RETRACT NORMALLY DURING LNDG GEAR RETRACTION REGARDLESS OF THE POS OF THE BYPASS HANDLES SO THE FLC ELECTED TO CONTINUE OUT FOR TKOF. TKOF WAS NORMAL AND UNEVENTFUL. AFTER TKOF UPON GEAR RETRACTION, R MAIN LNDG GEAR DOOR CLOSED AS ADVERTISED BUT L GEAR DOOR REMAINED DOWN AND LOCKED. RETURNED TO MCO WHERE MAINT PERSONNEL DISCOVERED THAT THE L GEAR BYPASS HANDLE HAD A PART BROKEN WHICH PREVENTED THE DOOR FROM RETRACTING. LESSONS LEARNED: A SHORT DELAY AT THE RAMP TO HAVE A QUALIFIED MECH COME OUT TO STOW THE BYPASS HANDLES WOULD HAVE SAVED THE INCONVENIENCE AND EXPENSE OF AN INFLT ABNORMALITY WHICH LED TO A RETURN TO DEP ARPT.

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.