Narrative:

A flight from cwa to dtw, flying an SF340, was forced to return to cwa because the nose landing gear would not retract. Upon postflt inspection, I found that the nose gear pin was still installed. This was the first flight of the day for this airplane, and maintenance personnel had towed the airplane over to the gate with all the gear pins installed. As I walked out to the airplane my first officer was doing the preflight, and I noticed that the 2 main gear pins were in his hands. In cwa a jetway is used to board the passenger and this was attached to the airplane. I boarded the airplane through the jetway and never did notice and 'remove before flight' flags hanging from the nose gear. I then remained in the cockpit where I performed my acceptance flow for the airplane. My first officer came up to the cockpit, installed the gear pins that he had in his hand, and then performed his acceptance flow. We then both did the acceptance checklist. I feel that there were several contributing factors that led up to us leaving the nose pin in the landing gear. First, when the jetway is up next to the airplane, it's extremely hard to do a preflight that has a constant flow. My first officer did a preflight, but when he reached the jetway on the left side of the airplane he had to stop and then walk back around the airplane to the other side of the jetway and then continue his preflight. A second contributing factor is that when I removed the nose pin after landing, there was no 'remove before flight' flag hanging from the gear pin. My first officer said that when he did the preflight he did stand inside the nosewheel well to inspect the landing gear, but never did see the pin or a flag attached to the pin. A third contributing factor would be complacency using our acceptance checklist. Our operation utilizes a pushback procedure. When using this pushback procedure the nose pin is always installed and the 2 main gear pins are stowed in the cockpit. During the acceptance checklist we both acknowledge that 2 gear pins are stowed. After pushback, the ground agent hands me the pin through the communication hatch. The printed checklist however is used wherever the airplane is located and the checklist is printed either 4, for the nose pin/nosewheel steering lockout clamp and main gear or 2 stowed for just the main gear. During our acceptance checklist that day, my first officer and I did not use proper checklist discipline and we both responded that 2 gear pins were installed. One other factor that I feel would have resolved this problem from the start, is when maintenance is finished towing the airplanes, they should remove all of the gear pins again and put them back into the cockpit where they are stowed. Although these contributing factors led up to this event, I realize that I am ultimately responsible for thoroughly completing all required checklist items. Supplemental information from acn 474718: another contributing factor was confusing checklist. On the acceptance checklist, the first item is 'gear pins nose steer lockout clamp.' the response is either '2 stowed' or '4 stowed.' at a station where the aircraft is pushed back, the nose gear pins are left in the nose. The response is '2 stowed.' where the aircraft is not pushed back, the gear pins are stowed in the aircraft behind the captain's seat. The response is '4 stowed.' due to the different responses for the same checklist, it can be confusing.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR DEPARTS WITH NOSE GEAR PIN INSTALLED. NO WARNING FLAG WAS ATTACHED TO THE PIN. CREW IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE CHKLIST PROCS RELATIVE TO THE GEAR PINS.

Narrative: A FLT FROM CWA TO DTW, FLYING AN SF340, WAS FORCED TO RETURN TO CWA BECAUSE THE NOSE LNDG GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT. UPON POSTFLT INSPECTION, I FOUND THAT THE NOSE GEAR PIN WAS STILL INSTALLED. THIS WAS THE FIRST FLT OF THE DAY FOR THIS AIRPLANE, AND MAINT PERSONNEL HAD TOWED THE AIRPLANE OVER TO THE GATE WITH ALL THE GEAR PINS INSTALLED. AS I WALKED OUT TO THE AIRPLANE MY FO WAS DOING THE PREFLT, AND I NOTICED THAT THE 2 MAIN GEAR PINS WERE IN HIS HANDS. IN CWA A JETWAY IS USED TO BOARD THE PAX AND THIS WAS ATTACHED TO THE AIRPLANE. I BOARDED THE AIRPLANE THROUGH THE JETWAY AND NEVER DID NOTICE AND 'REMOVE BEFORE FLT' FLAGS HANGING FROM THE NOSE GEAR. I THEN REMAINED IN THE COCKPIT WHERE I PERFORMED MY ACCEPTANCE FLOW FOR THE AIRPLANE. MY FO CAME UP TO THE COCKPIT, INSTALLED THE GEAR PINS THAT HE HAD IN HIS HAND, AND THEN PERFORMED HIS ACCEPTANCE FLOW. WE THEN BOTH DID THE ACCEPTANCE CHKLIST. I FEEL THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL CONTRIBUTING FACTORS THAT LED UP TO US LEAVING THE NOSE PIN IN THE LNDG GEAR. FIRST, WHEN THE JETWAY IS UP NEXT TO THE AIRPLANE, IT'S EXTREMELY HARD TO DO A PREFLT THAT HAS A CONSTANT FLOW. MY FO DID A PREFLT, BUT WHEN HE REACHED THE JETWAY ON THE L SIDE OF THE AIRPLANE HE HAD TO STOP AND THEN WALK BACK AROUND THE AIRPLANE TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE JETWAY AND THEN CONTINUE HIS PREFLT. A SECOND CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IS THAT WHEN I REMOVED THE NOSE PIN AFTER LNDG, THERE WAS NO 'REMOVE BEFORE FLT' FLAG HANGING FROM THE GEAR PIN. MY FO SAID THAT WHEN HE DID THE PREFLT HE DID STAND INSIDE THE NOSEWHEEL WELL TO INSPECT THE LNDG GEAR, BUT NEVER DID SEE THE PIN OR A FLAG ATTACHED TO THE PIN. A THIRD CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WOULD BE COMPLACENCY USING OUR ACCEPTANCE CHKLIST. OUR OP UTILIZES A PUSHBACK PROC. WHEN USING THIS PUSHBACK PROC THE NOSE PIN IS ALWAYS INSTALLED AND THE 2 MAIN GEAR PINS ARE STOWED IN THE COCKPIT. DURING THE ACCEPTANCE CHKLIST WE BOTH ACKNOWLEDGE THAT 2 GEAR PINS ARE STOWED. AFTER PUSHBACK, THE GND AGENT HANDS ME THE PIN THROUGH THE COM HATCH. THE PRINTED CHKLIST HOWEVER IS USED WHEREVER THE AIRPLANE IS LOCATED AND THE CHKLIST IS PRINTED EITHER 4, FOR THE NOSE PIN/NOSEWHEEL STEERING LOCKOUT CLAMP AND MAIN GEAR OR 2 STOWED FOR JUST THE MAIN GEAR. DURING OUR ACCEPTANCE CHKLIST THAT DAY, MY FO AND I DID NOT USE PROPER CHKLIST DISCIPLINE AND WE BOTH RESPONDED THAT 2 GEAR PINS WERE INSTALLED. ONE OTHER FACTOR THAT I FEEL WOULD HAVE RESOLVED THIS PROB FROM THE START, IS WHEN MAINT IS FINISHED TOWING THE AIRPLANES, THEY SHOULD REMOVE ALL OF THE GEAR PINS AGAIN AND PUT THEM BACK INTO THE COCKPIT WHERE THEY ARE STOWED. ALTHOUGH THESE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS LED UP TO THIS EVENT, I REALIZE THAT I AM ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THOROUGHLY COMPLETING ALL REQUIRED CHKLIST ITEMS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 474718: ANOTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS CONFUSING CHKLIST. ON THE ACCEPTANCE CHKLIST, THE FIRST ITEM IS 'GEAR PINS NOSE STEER LOCKOUT CLAMP.' THE RESPONSE IS EITHER '2 STOWED' OR '4 STOWED.' AT A STATION WHERE THE ACFT IS PUSHED BACK, THE NOSE GEAR PINS ARE LEFT IN THE NOSE. THE RESPONSE IS '2 STOWED.' WHERE THE ACFT IS NOT PUSHED BACK, THE GEAR PINS ARE STOWED IN THE ACFT BEHIND THE CAPT'S SEAT. THE RESPONSE IS '4 STOWED.' DUE TO THE DIFFERENT RESPONSES FOR THE SAME CHKLIST, IT CAN BE CONFUSING.

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.