Narrative:

After overnight stay we returned to airport to start our last day of a scheduled trip pairing. The airport/city has been on our system for a long time but we recently discontinued our own handling of aircraft there and started using gates and people of another airline. It was one of their hubs so facilities/people were not a problem except that they did not operate the type of equipment we were using. We had been advised that our aircraft had arrived the night before with a maintenance problem and that the needed part would arrive that morning and they would install it and we would be on our way. As we did our initial walk around, the other airline's maintenance folks were in fact installing the needed part, which was a hydraulic line. All 3 sets of gear doors were open, the pins were in the gear, and a spoiler bypass valve in the wheel well had been repositioned. I made note of those items and climbed in the cockpit to do the rest of the preflight items. The gate agents started loading the aircraft. Maintenance people had us turn on hydraulics to leak test the line and everything appeared normal. We had them also check the APU oil level (it was low) because we were going to use it on the entire next leg because of an MEL item. When maintenance returned the logbook I asked if all the gear doors were closed, pins removed, and the valve repositioned properly. He said yes to all items, so we pushed back, started our engines, taxied and took off. After gear retraction on takeoff a loud noise continued from the nosewheel area even with all gear and doors showing up and locked. We slowed down and extended the gear and still had the noise. We then took vectors away from the airport to work the problem. I called operations for our departure city and talked to the lead mechanic who worked on our aircraft. I asked if he had closed the nose gear door when he finished his work. He said no! He had not been working in any area, but the main gear! He had seen the nose gear doors open when he pulled the gear pins and returned them to us in the cockpit, but hadn't thought it unusual because the ramp people from his airline sometimes open these doors when pinning/attaching tow bar on this type aircraft. (Remember they do not operate this type equipment!) we burned off fuel, made an uneventful landing, had the gear doors closed, got more fuel and paperwork and left on a normal flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR AND CREW TOOK OFF WITH THE NOSE GEAR DOOR LEFT BY MAINT IN THE MANUAL OPEN POS AND HAD TO RETURN TO GET IT MANUALLY CLOSED.

Narrative: AFTER OVERNIGHT STAY WE RETURNED TO ARPT TO START OUR LAST DAY OF A SCHEDULED TRIP PAIRING. THE ARPT/CITY HAS BEEN ON OUR SYS FOR A LONG TIME BUT WE RECENTLY DISCONTINUED OUR OWN HANDLING OF ACFT THERE AND STARTED USING GATES AND PEOPLE OF ANOTHER AIRLINE. IT WAS ONE OF THEIR HUBS SO FACILITIES/PEOPLE WERE NOT A PROB EXCEPT THAT THEY DID NOT OPERATE THE TYPE OF EQUIP WE WERE USING. WE HAD BEEN ADVISED THAT OUR ACFT HAD ARRIVED THE NIGHT BEFORE WITH A MAINT PROB AND THAT THE NEEDED PART WOULD ARRIVE THAT MORNING AND THEY WOULD INSTALL IT AND WE WOULD BE ON OUR WAY. AS WE DID OUR INITIAL WALK AROUND, THE OTHER AIRLINE'S MAINT FOLKS WERE IN FACT INSTALLING THE NEEDED PART, WHICH WAS A HYD LINE. ALL 3 SETS OF GEAR DOORS WERE OPEN, THE PINS WERE IN THE GEAR, AND A SPOILER BYPASS VALVE IN THE WHEEL WELL HAD BEEN REPOSITIONED. I MADE NOTE OF THOSE ITEMS AND CLBED IN THE COCKPIT TO DO THE REST OF THE PREFLT ITEMS. THE GATE AGENTS STARTED LOADING THE ACFT. MAINT PEOPLE HAD US TURN ON HYDS TO LEAK TEST THE LINE AND EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL. WE HAD THEM ALSO CHK THE APU OIL LEVEL (IT WAS LOW) BECAUSE WE WERE GOING TO USE IT ON THE ENTIRE NEXT LEG BECAUSE OF AN MEL ITEM. WHEN MAINT RETURNED THE LOGBOOK I ASKED IF ALL THE GEAR DOORS WERE CLOSED, PINS REMOVED, AND THE VALVE REPOSITIONED PROPERLY. HE SAID YES TO ALL ITEMS, SO WE PUSHED BACK, STARTED OUR ENGS, TAXIED AND TOOK OFF. AFTER GEAR RETRACTION ON TKOF A LOUD NOISE CONTINUED FROM THE NOSEWHEEL AREA EVEN WITH ALL GEAR AND DOORS SHOWING UP AND LOCKED. WE SLOWED DOWN AND EXTENDED THE GEAR AND STILL HAD THE NOISE. WE THEN TOOK VECTORS AWAY FROM THE ARPT TO WORK THE PROB. I CALLED OPS FOR OUR DEP CITY AND TALKED TO THE LEAD MECH WHO WORKED ON OUR ACFT. I ASKED IF HE HAD CLOSED THE NOSE GEAR DOOR WHEN HE FINISHED HIS WORK. HE SAID NO! HE HAD NOT BEEN WORKING IN ANY AREA, BUT THE MAIN GEAR! HE HAD SEEN THE NOSE GEAR DOORS OPEN WHEN HE PULLED THE GEAR PINS AND RETURNED THEM TO US IN THE COCKPIT, BUT HADN'T THOUGHT IT UNUSUAL BECAUSE THE RAMP PEOPLE FROM HIS AIRLINE SOMETIMES OPEN THESE DOORS WHEN PINNING/ATTACHING TOW BAR ON THIS TYPE ACFT. (REMEMBER THEY DO NOT OPERATE THIS TYPE EQUIP!) WE BURNED OFF FUEL, MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG, HAD THE GEAR DOORS CLOSED, GOT MORE FUEL AND PAPERWORK AND LEFT ON A NORMAL FLT.

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.