Narrative:

The third leg was a scheduled flight from ZZZ to ZZZ1. The crew consisted of the captain, first officer, and 1 flight attendant. The first officer arrived at the aircraft prior to the other crew members. All safety inspections were performed and the aircraft was pwred up using ground power. The first officer performed a walkaround, and everything appeared to be normal. Preflight duties were normal with the exception that the flight release needed to be amended with the dispatcher. Aircraft Y was listed on the release, and aircraft X was at the gate. New numbers were obtained from the dispatcher. Aircraft logs were checked, and it was noted that the aircraft had flown earlier that day. The aircraft was closed up early with 24 passenger on board. Clearance to push off the gate was requested from ramp control. The push off the gate was jerky, but this was not unusual. When the aircraft stopped, the brakes were set as per SOP. The captain then cleared the push crew to disconnect the tow bar. The tug crew had some difficulty disconnecting the tow bar, however, this was not unusual. Once the tow bar was disconnected, the captain requested clearance to start the #1 engine from the ground crew. Clearance was given, and the first officer initiated the engine start. Both crew members were monitoring the engine start. The start proceeded normally. There were noises, which the first officer associated with generator control unit contactors closing, which is normal at the end of the start sequence. The captain first noticed the problem. It was observed on the EICAS that the nosewheel gear light was amber/red, which indicated that the nosewheel was in transition. Then the nose of the aircraft began to drop. It sank for a period of 3-5 seconds. The captain reached for the gear handle and confirmed that it was in the down position. The first officer instinctively grabbed the yoke. The 'landing gear,' 'landing gear' warning repeated on the aural warning system. The captain notified ramp of the problem and requested emergency vehicles to monitor the aircraft. The crew tried to silence the aural warning with the GPWS cutout switch, which had no effect. The captain called the flight attendant and made an announcement to the passenger. The first officer called maintenance. Then, the captain had the cockpit voice recorder circuit breaker pulled, and the #1 engine, APU, and all power shut down on the aircraft. Stairs were wheeled up to the aircraft and the passenger deplaned. At this point, the captain left the aircraft to help the passenger, and the first officer remained in the cockpit until all the passenger were off the aircraft. After the event, the captain mentioned hearing abnormal noises during the engine start. The main gear indications were green for the whole event, and the problems occurred prior to the after start checklist. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the airplane was checked on the gate and nothing was found abnormal during the preflight walkaround check. The reporter said the engine prestart check was normal with the landing gear position indication 3 green and the landing gear select handle in the down and lock position. The reporter stated when the #1 engine was started and hydraulic pressure came up, the EICAS amber warning illuminated, indicating the nose gear was retracting, which in fact, it did. The reporter said no single component has been idented as at fault, but all nose gear components have been removed and sent to the manufacturer for testing. The reporter stated this airplane is only a few months old.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A EMBRAER 145 AFTER PUSHBACK AND START OF #1 ENG, THE NOSE GEAR RETRACTED, INCURRING ACFT DAMAGE. CAUSE UNKNOWN.

Narrative: THE THIRD LEG WAS A SCHEDULED FLT FROM ZZZ TO ZZZ1. THE CREW CONSISTED OF THE CAPT, FO, AND 1 FLT ATTENDANT. THE FO ARRIVED AT THE ACFT PRIOR TO THE OTHER CREW MEMBERS. ALL SAFETY INSPECTIONS WERE PERFORMED AND THE ACFT WAS PWRED UP USING GND PWR. THE FO PERFORMED A WALKAROUND, AND EVERYTHING APPEARED TO BE NORMAL. PREFLT DUTIES WERE NORMAL WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT THE FLT RELEASE NEEDED TO BE AMENDED WITH THE DISPATCHER. ACFT Y WAS LISTED ON THE RELEASE, AND ACFT X WAS AT THE GATE. NEW NUMBERS WERE OBTAINED FROM THE DISPATCHER. ACFT LOGS WERE CHKED, AND IT WAS NOTED THAT THE ACFT HAD FLOWN EARLIER THAT DAY. THE ACFT WAS CLOSED UP EARLY WITH 24 PAX ON BOARD. CLRNC TO PUSH OFF THE GATE WAS REQUESTED FROM RAMP CTL. THE PUSH OFF THE GATE WAS JERKY, BUT THIS WAS NOT UNUSUAL. WHEN THE ACFT STOPPED, THE BRAKES WERE SET AS PER SOP. THE CAPT THEN CLRED THE PUSH CREW TO DISCONNECT THE TOW BAR. THE TUG CREW HAD SOME DIFFICULTY DISCONNECTING THE TOW BAR, HOWEVER, THIS WAS NOT UNUSUAL. ONCE THE TOW BAR WAS DISCONNECTED, THE CAPT REQUESTED CLRNC TO START THE #1 ENG FROM THE GND CREW. CLRNC WAS GIVEN, AND THE FO INITIATED THE ENG START. BOTH CREW MEMBERS WERE MONITORING THE ENG START. THE START PROCEEDED NORMALLY. THERE WERE NOISES, WHICH THE FO ASSOCIATED WITH GENERATOR CTL UNIT CONTACTORS CLOSING, WHICH IS NORMAL AT THE END OF THE START SEQUENCE. THE CAPT FIRST NOTICED THE PROB. IT WAS OBSERVED ON THE EICAS THAT THE NOSEWHEEL GEAR LIGHT WAS AMBER/RED, WHICH INDICATED THAT THE NOSEWHEEL WAS IN TRANSITION. THEN THE NOSE OF THE ACFT BEGAN TO DROP. IT SANK FOR A PERIOD OF 3-5 SECONDS. THE CAPT REACHED FOR THE GEAR HANDLE AND CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS IN THE DOWN POS. THE FO INSTINCTIVELY GRABBED THE YOKE. THE 'LNDG GEAR,' 'LNDG GEAR' WARNING REPEATED ON THE AURAL WARNING SYS. THE CAPT NOTIFIED RAMP OF THE PROB AND REQUESTED EMER VEHICLES TO MONITOR THE ACFT. THE CREW TRIED TO SILENCE THE AURAL WARNING WITH THE GPWS CUTOUT SWITCH, WHICH HAD NO EFFECT. THE CAPT CALLED THE FLT ATTENDANT AND MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX. THE FO CALLED MAINT. THEN, THE CAPT HAD THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER CIRCUIT BREAKER PULLED, AND THE #1 ENG, APU, AND ALL PWR SHUT DOWN ON THE ACFT. STAIRS WERE WHEELED UP TO THE ACFT AND THE PAX DEPLANED. AT THIS POINT, THE CAPT LEFT THE ACFT TO HELP THE PAX, AND THE FO REMAINED IN THE COCKPIT UNTIL ALL THE PAX WERE OFF THE ACFT. AFTER THE EVENT, THE CAPT MENTIONED HEARING ABNORMAL NOISES DURING THE ENG START. THE MAIN GEAR INDICATIONS WERE GREEN FOR THE WHOLE EVENT, AND THE PROBS OCCURRED PRIOR TO THE AFTER START CHKLIST. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE AIRPLANE WAS CHKED ON THE GATE AND NOTHING WAS FOUND ABNORMAL DURING THE PREFLT WALKAROUND CHK. THE RPTR SAID THE ENG PRESTART CHK WAS NORMAL WITH THE LNDG GEAR POS INDICATION 3 GREEN AND THE LNDG GEAR SELECT HANDLE IN THE DOWN AND LOCK POS. THE RPTR STATED WHEN THE #1 ENG WAS STARTED AND HYD PRESSURE CAME UP, THE EICAS AMBER WARNING ILLUMINATED, INDICATING THE NOSE GEAR WAS RETRACTING, WHICH IN FACT, IT DID. THE RPTR SAID NO SINGLE COMPONENT HAS BEEN IDENTED AS AT FAULT, BUT ALL NOSE GEAR COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN REMOVED AND SENT TO THE MANUFACTURER FOR TESTING. THE RPTR STATED THIS AIRPLANE IS ONLY A FEW MONTHS OLD.

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.