B727 aircraft nose gear wouldn't retract completely. Flight crew diverted and maintenance discovered...

Attributes
ACN	357345
Time
Date	199701
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : lax
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : second officer
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 240 flight time total : 14000 flight time type : 2200
ASRS Report	357345
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	other personnel other
Qualification	other other : other
ASRS Report	357337
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

XX15 show for a YY15 go. Dark, damp, and foggy. Everything normal during preflight, including the gear pin count -- 3 on board. Push ok and slow taxi (quarter mi visibility) to the long runway, runway 4R. Takeoff normal until first officer selects gear up. Mains come up nicely but nosegear light red, not up and locked. Cycle gear but no luck. Talk to maintenance control and dispatch. Captain wants to divert to xyz and they agree. Hold for a few mins to burn down to our landing weight, landing uneventful, taxi to the gate, contract maintenance waiting as we come to a stop. Naturally we all run down to the nosegear to see what the problem was, expecting to find a gear pin still installed. But no -- no gear pin. Nothing obviously wrong. General scratching of heads all around, maintenance disappears to regroup. A while later, we find the cause -- maintenance had to disconnect and drop the forward nose gear doors so they could get up into the wheel well area for a more in-depth inspection. While there, they discovered a flashlight, apparently left behind by one of our company's mechanics the night before. This flashlight was positioned such that the sequencing valves prevented normal gear retraction. Maintenance jacks nose up, swings the gear, decides everything is ok. Dispatch says continue on to XXX. It has been many hours since we pushed in ZZZ but we find most of our passenger and prepare to go. Just before we close the door, maintenance hands me the logbook and says 'you guys are all set to go.' I checked for an entry in the corrective action column and we pushed off for XXX. 5 days later my chief pilot contacted me to inform me that our incident had made the internet and that the corrective actions outlined by maintenance in the logbook were not followed by a signature. We had flown to XXX with an open write-up! Could this have been an intentional omission?

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 ACFT NOSE GEAR WOULDN'T RETRACT COMPLETELY. FLC DIVERTED AND MAINT DISCOVERED A FLASHLIGHT IN THE NOSE WHEEL WELL WHICH A MECH HAD LEFT THE NIGHT BEFORE. MAINT COMPLETED BY ANOTHER ACR AND LOGBOOK WRITTEN OFF BUT NOT SIGNED.

Narrative: XX15 SHOW FOR A YY15 GO. DARK, DAMP, AND FOGGY. EVERYTHING NORMAL DURING PREFLT, INCLUDING THE GEAR PIN COUNT -- 3 ON BOARD. PUSH OK AND SLOW TAXI (QUARTER MI VISIBILITY) TO THE LONG RWY, RWY 4R. TKOF NORMAL UNTIL FO SELECTS GEAR UP. MAINS COME UP NICELY BUT NOSEGEAR LIGHT RED, NOT UP AND LOCKED. CYCLE GEAR BUT NO LUCK. TALK TO MAINT CTL AND DISPATCH. CAPT WANTS TO DIVERT TO XYZ AND THEY AGREE. HOLD FOR A FEW MINS TO BURN DOWN TO OUR LNDG WT, LNDG UNEVENTFUL, TAXI TO THE GATE, CONTRACT MAINT WAITING AS WE COME TO A STOP. NATURALLY WE ALL RUN DOWN TO THE NOSEGEAR TO SEE WHAT THE PROB WAS, EXPECTING TO FIND A GEAR PIN STILL INSTALLED. BUT NO -- NO GEAR PIN. NOTHING OBVIOUSLY WRONG. GENERAL SCRATCHING OF HEADS ALL AROUND, MAINT DISAPPEARS TO REGROUP. A WHILE LATER, WE FIND THE CAUSE -- MAINT HAD TO DISCONNECT AND DROP THE FORWARD NOSE GEAR DOORS SO THEY COULD GET UP INTO THE WHEEL WELL AREA FOR A MORE IN-DEPTH INSPECTION. WHILE THERE, THEY DISCOVERED A FLASHLIGHT, APPARENTLY LEFT BEHIND BY ONE OF OUR COMPANY'S MECHS THE NIGHT BEFORE. THIS FLASHLIGHT WAS POSITIONED SUCH THAT THE SEQUENCING VALVES PREVENTED NORMAL GEAR RETRACTION. MAINT JACKS NOSE UP, SWINGS THE GEAR, DECIDES EVERYTHING IS OK. DISPATCH SAYS CONTINUE ON TO XXX. IT HAS BEEN MANY HRS SINCE WE PUSHED IN ZZZ BUT WE FIND MOST OF OUR PAX AND PREPARE TO GO. JUST BEFORE WE CLOSE THE DOOR, MAINT HANDS ME THE LOGBOOK AND SAYS 'YOU GUYS ARE ALL SET TO GO.' I CHKED FOR AN ENTRY IN THE CORRECTIVE ACTION COLUMN AND WE PUSHED OFF FOR XXX. 5 DAYS LATER MY CHIEF PLT CONTACTED ME TO INFORM ME THAT OUR INCIDENT HAD MADE THE INTERNET AND THAT THE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS OUTLINED BY MAINT IN THE LOGBOOK WERE NOT FOLLOWED BY A SIGNATURE. WE HAD FLOWN TO XXX WITH AN OPEN WRITE-UP! COULD THIS HAVE BEEN AN INTENTIONAL OMISSION?

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.

B727 aircraft nose gear wouldn't retract completely. Flight crew diverted and maintenance discovered a flashlight in the nose wheel well which a mechanic had left the night before. Maintenance completed by another air carrier and logbook written off but not signed.