Narrative:

Sitting on the ground in toronto while boarding passenger, a warning message came on saying the nose door was open. I left the cockpit to see what the ground crew was doing, as this was not a normal message. It turned out that we would need to be pushed back, which was not normal for this airport. The ground crew was not accustomed to pushing back the aircraft. They had only done it a few times in the past. In order to push the aircraft back, a pin must be placed in the nose gear with the scissors released. The pin is hard to put in place with the nose door closed if you haven't put it in often. Most experienced ground crews can put the pin in without opening the door. This ground crew opened the nose door to get easy access for pin placement, then closed it. We pushed back from the gate and started both engines for taxi while the ground crew was disconnecting the tug and preparing us for taxi. Typically it takes less than 30 seconds to do this process. It took this crew 3-4 mins to complete it. We couldn't see what the problem was but guessed that they were having problems reconnecting the scissors because the nosewheel wasn't straight. About 20 seconds before they were done we once again got the nose door warning message indicating they opened the nose door to get the gear pin out. To open the nose door there is an access panel on the front right side of the fuselage that allows a person to FLIP a switch to open and close it. After they were done we taxied and departed without incident. Once airborne we heard a loud hissing noise that sounded like a fan gone bad. The tone was constant and sounded similar to one of the avionics cooling fans about ready to give out. En route to cincinnati, we called maintenance and notified them we may have a bad avionics fan. Upon arrival at the gate it was discovered that in actuality the noise we heard was coming from the access panel where the nose door was opened and closed but was left open. No damage was done to the door and the airplane continued to its next destination. I feel that this could have been averted several ways. First, in order to push back the aircraft, one should be well trained in the operations. Also, there was no ground communication between the ground crew and flight crew. If the ground crew was able to communicate through headsets, we would have been able to ask them if the panel door was in fact closed. Not knowing for certain whether or not the door was closed we could have taxied back into the gate and stepped outside to verify the door was closed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CL65 CREW DEPARTED WITH THE NOSE GEAR ACCESS PANEL OPEN.

Narrative: SITTING ON THE GND IN TORONTO WHILE BOARDING PAX, A WARNING MESSAGE CAME ON SAYING THE NOSE DOOR WAS OPEN. I LEFT THE COCKPIT TO SEE WHAT THE GND CREW WAS DOING, AS THIS WAS NOT A NORMAL MESSAGE. IT TURNED OUT THAT WE WOULD NEED TO BE PUSHED BACK, WHICH WAS NOT NORMAL FOR THIS ARPT. THE GND CREW WAS NOT ACCUSTOMED TO PUSHING BACK THE ACFT. THEY HAD ONLY DONE IT A FEW TIMES IN THE PAST. IN ORDER TO PUSH THE ACFT BACK, A PIN MUST BE PLACED IN THE NOSE GEAR WITH THE SCISSORS RELEASED. THE PIN IS HARD TO PUT IN PLACE WITH THE NOSE DOOR CLOSED IF YOU HAVEN'T PUT IT IN OFTEN. MOST EXPERIENCED GND CREWS CAN PUT THE PIN IN WITHOUT OPENING THE DOOR. THIS GND CREW OPENED THE NOSE DOOR TO GET EASY ACCESS FOR PIN PLACEMENT, THEN CLOSED IT. WE PUSHED BACK FROM THE GATE AND STARTED BOTH ENGS FOR TAXI WHILE THE GND CREW WAS DISCONNECTING THE TUG AND PREPARING US FOR TAXI. TYPICALLY IT TAKES LESS THAN 30 SECONDS TO DO THIS PROCESS. IT TOOK THIS CREW 3-4 MINS TO COMPLETE IT. WE COULDN'T SEE WHAT THE PROB WAS BUT GUESSED THAT THEY WERE HAVING PROBS RECONNECTING THE SCISSORS BECAUSE THE NOSEWHEEL WASN'T STRAIGHT. ABOUT 20 SECONDS BEFORE THEY WERE DONE WE ONCE AGAIN GOT THE NOSE DOOR WARNING MESSAGE INDICATING THEY OPENED THE NOSE DOOR TO GET THE GEAR PIN OUT. TO OPEN THE NOSE DOOR THERE IS AN ACCESS PANEL ON THE FRONT R SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE THAT ALLOWS A PERSON TO FLIP A SWITCH TO OPEN AND CLOSE IT. AFTER THEY WERE DONE WE TAXIED AND DEPARTED WITHOUT INCIDENT. ONCE AIRBORNE WE HEARD A LOUD HISSING NOISE THAT SOUNDED LIKE A FAN GONE BAD. THE TONE WAS CONSTANT AND SOUNDED SIMILAR TO ONE OF THE AVIONICS COOLING FANS ABOUT READY TO GIVE OUT. ENRTE TO CINCINNATI, WE CALLED MAINT AND NOTIFIED THEM WE MAY HAVE A BAD AVIONICS FAN. UPON ARR AT THE GATE IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT IN ACTUALITY THE NOISE WE HEARD WAS COMING FROM THE ACCESS PANEL WHERE THE NOSE DOOR WAS OPENED AND CLOSED BUT WAS LEFT OPEN. NO DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE DOOR AND THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED TO ITS NEXT DEST. I FEEL THAT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVERTED SEVERAL WAYS. FIRST, IN ORDER TO PUSH BACK THE ACFT, ONE SHOULD BE WELL TRAINED IN THE OPS. ALSO, THERE WAS NO GND COM BTWN THE GND CREW AND FLC. IF THE GND CREW WAS ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THROUGH HEADSETS, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ASK THEM IF THE PANEL DOOR WAS IN FACT CLOSED. NOT KNOWING FOR CERTAIN WHETHER OR NOT THE DOOR WAS CLOSED WE COULD HAVE TAXIED BACK INTO THE GATE AND STEPPED OUTSIDE TO VERIFY THE DOOR WAS CLOSED.

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.