Narrative:

On apr/xa/01, aircraft B727 had 4 consecutive write-ups on the left main landing gear. This aircraft had an unsafe landing gear indication after takeoff when the gear handle was in the up and off position in-flight. My flight crew was assigned this aircraft to fly from las-dfw. Before accepting this flight, I had called my chief pilot captain and expressed my concerns and asked the question 'why are we flying this aircraft with passenger,' also 'how do we really know that this aircraft is fixed and should it not be test flown first so we know that it is fixed?' he replied that the mechanic is signing it off and it is good to go. With this in mind, I departed las for dfw and after takeoff I had a red gear light and a green gear light on the left main landing gear with the gear handle in the up and off position. After leaving 10000 ft, we ACARS'ed the company and stopped the climb at 15000 ft and had a phone to the company and indicated to them that we did not have a checklist for this indication problem. At that time the flight engineer left the cockpit to check the main gear viewing ports to see if the left gear was up and locked, while that was going on, I was talking to maintenance control. They asked me to turn on the lower rudder stand-by hydraulic power switch to see if that would put out the lights -- it did. Then they had us turn the lower rudder standby hydraulic power switch back to the normal position. At that time, the flight engineer came back to the cockpit and confirmed that the gear was up and locked. At that point we continued the flight to dfw. Upon landing in dfw, we extended the landing gear early and verified it was down and locked, by the flight engineer going into the main cabin and looking through the main gear viewing ports. A normal landing was made from there.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B722 CREW, UPON RAISING THE GEAR AFTER TKOF, HAD A GEAR UNSAFE INDICATION.

Narrative: ON APR/XA/01, ACFT B727 HAD 4 CONSECUTIVE WRITE-UPS ON THE L MAIN LNDG GEAR. THIS ACFT HAD AN UNSAFE LNDG GEAR INDICATION AFTER TKOF WHEN THE GEAR HANDLE WAS IN THE UP AND OFF POS INFLT. MY FLC WAS ASSIGNED THIS ACFT TO FLY FROM LAS-DFW. BEFORE ACCEPTING THIS FLT, I HAD CALLED MY CHIEF PLT CAPT AND EXPRESSED MY CONCERNS AND ASKED THE QUESTION 'WHY ARE WE FLYING THIS ACFT WITH PAX,' ALSO 'HOW DO WE REALLY KNOW THAT THIS ACFT IS FIXED AND SHOULD IT NOT BE TEST FLOWN FIRST SO WE KNOW THAT IT IS FIXED?' HE REPLIED THAT THE MECH IS SIGNING IT OFF AND IT IS GOOD TO GO. WITH THIS IN MIND, I DEPARTED LAS FOR DFW AND AFTER TKOF I HAD A RED GEAR LIGHT AND A GREEN GEAR LIGHT ON THE L MAIN LNDG GEAR WITH THE GEAR HANDLE IN THE UP AND OFF POS. AFTER LEAVING 10000 FT, WE ACARS'ED THE COMPANY AND STOPPED THE CLB AT 15000 FT AND HAD A PHONE TO THE COMPANY AND INDICATED TO THEM THAT WE DID NOT HAVE A CHKLIST FOR THIS INDICATION PROB. AT THAT TIME THE FE LEFT THE COCKPIT TO CHK THE MAIN GEAR VIEWING PORTS TO SEE IF THE L GEAR WAS UP AND LOCKED, WHILE THAT WAS GOING ON, I WAS TALKING TO MAINT CTL. THEY ASKED ME TO TURN ON THE LOWER RUDDER STAND-BY HYD PWR SWITCH TO SEE IF THAT WOULD PUT OUT THE LIGHTS -- IT DID. THEN THEY HAD US TURN THE LOWER RUDDER STANDBY HYD PWR SWITCH BACK TO THE NORMAL POS. AT THAT TIME, THE FE CAME BACK TO THE COCKPIT AND CONFIRMED THAT THE GEAR WAS UP AND LOCKED. AT THAT POINT WE CONTINUED THE FLT TO DFW. UPON LNDG IN DFW, WE EXTENDED THE LNDG GEAR EARLY AND VERIFIED IT WAS DOWN AND LOCKED, BY THE FE GOING INTO THE MAIN CABIN AND LOOKING THROUGH THE MAIN GEAR VIEWING PORTS. A NORMAL LNDG WAS MADE FROM THERE.

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.