Narrative:

The aircraft had a boot problem on jan/wed/02 so we were stuck in ZZZ until the problem was fixed. It started at about XA30 on jan/wed/02 and went until XI00 when they finally decided that the aircraft would not be fixed in time and we were told to go to the hotel and return for the first flight on jan/thu/02. The show time was XU25. We arrived and did our normal check-in with the gate. We then proceeded to 1 of the 2 of our aircraft on the ramp. One was going to ZZZ1 and the other was our aircraft going to new york. When I did the preflight, everything was in good condition and there was a gear pin in the nose gear which I thought was going to be for a push since there wre 2 dorniers next to each other. They were also in close proximity of each other. When we took off, the nose gear did not retract. We ran the appropriate checklist and returned to ZZZ and landed. The mechanic that had installed the pin was riding back with us and I asked him if he had left it in, and he did admit to leaving the pin in. Therefore, ramp had no idea that the pin was in. I thought that ramp had put the pin in for a push. Once we landed, the mechanic that was riding with us ran out and removed the pin. That is why I believe the pin was his. Once again there were 2 dorniers and I thought they were going to push us, so I believed it was ramp's pin. I made the mistake in not querying whether we push or not from this station that I hadn't overnighted in over a yr. There were 3 gear pins in the cockpit. That is another reason I thought that the gear pin had been installed by a ramper for a push. Normal operation the mechanics use the aircraft gear pins located in the cockpit. We had all 3 gear pins. If there had been one missing, I would have known that it was the mechanic's and not the ramper's, but it turned out that the mechanic had his own gear pin and that was the pin installed in the nose gear. There were too many gear pins. If there are more than 3 they have come from somewhere else other than the aircraft. This could have been solved if the mechanic had used the appropriate pin from the cockpit and had removed the pin when he was finished.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DO328 FO RPT OF A RETURN LAND BECAUSE OF A NOSE GEAR DOWN LOCK PIN THAT WAS NOT REMOVED PRIOR TO FLT AT ZZZ, US.

Narrative: THE ACFT HAD A BOOT PROB ON JAN/WED/02 SO WE WERE STUCK IN ZZZ UNTIL THE PROB WAS FIXED. IT STARTED AT ABOUT XA30 ON JAN/WED/02 AND WENT UNTIL XI00 WHEN THEY FINALLY DECIDED THAT THE ACFT WOULD NOT BE FIXED IN TIME AND WE WERE TOLD TO GO TO THE HOTEL AND RETURN FOR THE FIRST FLT ON JAN/THU/02. THE SHOW TIME WAS XU25. WE ARRIVED AND DID OUR NORMAL CHK-IN WITH THE GATE. WE THEN PROCEEDED TO 1 OF THE 2 OF OUR ACFT ON THE RAMP. ONE WAS GOING TO ZZZ1 AND THE OTHER WAS OUR ACFT GOING TO NEW YORK. WHEN I DID THE PREFLT, EVERYTHING WAS IN GOOD CONDITION AND THERE WAS A GEAR PIN IN THE NOSE GEAR WHICH I THOUGHT WAS GOING TO BE FOR A PUSH SINCE THERE WRE 2 DORNIERS NEXT TO EACH OTHER. THEY WERE ALSO IN CLOSE PROX OF EACH OTHER. WHEN WE TOOK OFF, THE NOSE GEAR DID NOT RETRACT. WE RAN THE APPROPRIATE CHKLIST AND RETURNED TO ZZZ AND LANDED. THE MECH THAT HAD INSTALLED THE PIN WAS RIDING BACK WITH US AND I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD LEFT IT IN, AND HE DID ADMIT TO LEAVING THE PIN IN. THEREFORE, RAMP HAD NO IDEA THAT THE PIN WAS IN. I THOUGHT THAT RAMP HAD PUT THE PIN IN FOR A PUSH. ONCE WE LANDED, THE MECH THAT WAS RIDING WITH US RAN OUT AND REMOVED THE PIN. THAT IS WHY I BELIEVE THE PIN WAS HIS. ONCE AGAIN THERE WERE 2 DORNIERS AND I THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO PUSH US, SO I BELIEVED IT WAS RAMP'S PIN. I MADE THE MISTAKE IN NOT QUERYING WHETHER WE PUSH OR NOT FROM THIS STATION THAT I HADN'T OVERNIGHTED IN OVER A YR. THERE WERE 3 GEAR PINS IN THE COCKPIT. THAT IS ANOTHER REASON I THOUGHT THAT THE GEAR PIN HAD BEEN INSTALLED BY A RAMPER FOR A PUSH. NORMAL OP THE MECHS USE THE ACFT GEAR PINS LOCATED IN THE COCKPIT. WE HAD ALL 3 GEAR PINS. IF THERE HAD BEEN ONE MISSING, I WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT IT WAS THE MECH'S AND NOT THE RAMPER'S, BUT IT TURNED OUT THAT THE MECH HAD HIS OWN GEAR PIN AND THAT WAS THE PIN INSTALLED IN THE NOSE GEAR. THERE WERE TOO MANY GEAR PINS. IF THERE ARE MORE THAN 3 THEY HAVE COME FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE OTHER THAN THE ACFT. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN SOLVED IF THE MECH HAD USED THE APPROPRIATE PIN FROM THE COCKPIT AND HAD REMOVED THE PIN WHEN HE WAS FINISHED.

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.