Narrative:

Maintenance brought aircraft from hangar to the gate for our flight. First officer put bag in cockpit, noticed gear pins onboard, thinking great, maintenance pulled them for me as they usually do. Began walkaround, looked in nose gear well and noticed no gear flags for air driven generator or nose gear. Continued walkaround and noticed other pins removed as suspected. Noticed group of pins in cockpit again when I sat to begin cockpit duties. We both visually confirmed gear pins onboard per checklist finished up with maintenance, who was issuing an MEL and were on our way. After takeoff, nose gear would not retract and we suspected there may be a pin, so without declaring an emergency, we returned to the field. As soon as we parked, I jumped out and looked up the nose well. Still couldn't see anything. Then I got my hands up there and felt some flag material and pulled it down. It was the tangled flag. I pulled the pin out. The ramper saw this and apologized. He says when he hooks up a tug, he peeks up for that flag just in case, but didn't see it either. I walked back to the cockpit and untangled all the pins to find 1 missing, the one in my hand. I feel awful that I let this slip by me and it will never happen to me and my crew again. Ever!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BECAUSE THE ATTACHED WARNING FLAG WAS HUNG UP IN THE WHEEL WELL AND NOT VISIBLE, PREFLT INSPECTION BY BOTH MAINT AND FLT CREW OF CRJ FAILED TO REVEAL NOSE GEAR PIN STILL INSTALLED. FLT TOOK OFF WITH PIN IN PLACE AND HAD TO RETURN FOR REMOVAL.

Narrative: MAINT BROUGHT ACFT FROM HANGAR TO THE GATE FOR OUR FLT. FO PUT BAG IN COCKPIT, NOTICED GEAR PINS ONBOARD, THINKING GREAT, MAINT PULLED THEM FOR ME AS THEY USUALLY DO. BEGAN WALKAROUND, LOOKED IN NOSE GEAR WELL AND NOTICED NO GEAR FLAGS FOR ADG OR NOSE GEAR. CONTINUED WALKAROUND AND NOTICED OTHER PINS REMOVED AS SUSPECTED. NOTICED GROUP OF PINS IN COCKPIT AGAIN WHEN I SAT TO BEGIN COCKPIT DUTIES. WE BOTH VISUALLY CONFIRMED GEAR PINS ONBOARD PER CHKLIST FINISHED UP WITH MAINT, WHO WAS ISSUING AN MEL AND WERE ON OUR WAY. AFTER TKOF, NOSE GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT AND WE SUSPECTED THERE MAY BE A PIN, SO WITHOUT DECLARING AN EMER, WE RETURNED TO THE FIELD. AS SOON AS WE PARKED, I JUMPED OUT AND LOOKED UP THE NOSE WELL. STILL COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING. THEN I GOT MY HANDS UP THERE AND FELT SOME FLAG MATERIAL AND PULLED IT DOWN. IT WAS THE TANGLED FLAG. I PULLED THE PIN OUT. THE RAMPER SAW THIS AND APOLOGIZED. HE SAYS WHEN HE HOOKS UP A TUG, HE PEEKS UP FOR THAT FLAG JUST IN CASE, BUT DIDN'T SEE IT EITHER. I WALKED BACK TO THE COCKPIT AND UNTANGLED ALL THE PINS TO FIND 1 MISSING, THE ONE IN MY HAND. I FEEL AWFUL THAT I LET THIS SLIP BY ME AND IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN TO ME AND MY CREW AGAIN. EVER!

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.