Narrative:

We were scheduled to depart ZZZ for ZZZ1 at XC00 local time. We arrived at the airport approximately XA30 local. I had asked my first officer to check and print the WX for the route home. I advised him I would take care of the preflight. The aircraft was parked in an area with very little lighting. During the preflight I received a phone call from our passenger at approximately XA50 local; that they were gong to be early and were leaving the downtown area at this time and should be there within 30 mins. Again during the preflight I received a second phone call from the passenger; they needed to know which FBO to come to and where it was located. I advised them of the FBO and continued my preflight during the conversation. After the passenger arrived I loaded the bags and the first officer closed the main cabin door. My normal routine is; as policy states; to check for 'chocks and gear pins' before closing the door. I do this every time; however I was still loading the bags when the first officer closed the main door. Taxi and takeoff was normal until gear retraction. This is where we knew that I had forgotten to remove the gear pins. We continued to our destination which was only 25 mins from departure with no further problems. Solutions to problem: capts do not swap roles. This allowed me outside my normal routine. Gear pins are to be seen by other crew member or door is not closed. I should have paid more attention to the preflight than to the time constraints we were put under. Supplemental information from acn 796450: I said is there anything unsafe or illegal about this? He said not that he could think of. I thought for a min and I could not think of anything that would cause a problem with the airplane. I asked would we have the fuel to continue? We both looked at the fuel and distance and decided that we definitely did. At that point; the decision to continue to ZZZ was made. We were then vectored toward the first fix on our flight plan and climbed to 14000 ft. I set the manual speed at 215. The cruise; descent; and landing were all normal with the exception of the gear being down. I think one factor that lead to the unintentional takeoff with gear pins installed was the early arrival of the passenger. The captain said that he received a phone call from the passenger during his preflight. This could have caused a distraction and interrupted his preflight routine. Additionally; the normal procedure is for the first officer to perform the preflight. The captain elected to do the preflight and delegate other duties to me. While switching some duties occasionally is not uncommon; it is not the normal routine. The fact that the flight was at night and the airplane was parked in a poorly lit area contributed to me not seeing the gear pins while walking toward the airplane. In the future I will tape a note on the throttles that will only be removed once both pilots see that the 3 pins have been removed. This should prevent this incident from happening again.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A G4 DEPARTED WITH THE GEAR PINS STILL INSTALLED AFTER A DISTRACTED CAPT'S ACFT PREFLT. THE ACFT CONTINUED TO ITS DESTINATION.

Narrative: WE WERE SCHEDULED TO DEPART ZZZ FOR ZZZ1 AT XC00 LCL TIME. WE ARRIVED AT THE ARPT APPROX XA30 LCL. I HAD ASKED MY FO TO CHK AND PRINT THE WX FOR THE RTE HOME. I ADVISED HIM I WOULD TAKE CARE OF THE PREFLT. THE ACFT WAS PARKED IN AN AREA WITH VERY LITTLE LIGHTING. DURING THE PREFLT I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM OUR PAX AT APPROX XA50 LCL; THAT THEY WERE GONG TO BE EARLY AND WERE LEAVING THE DOWNTOWN AREA AT THIS TIME AND SHOULD BE THERE WITHIN 30 MINS. AGAIN DURING THE PREFLT I RECEIVED A SECOND PHONE CALL FROM THE PAX; THEY NEEDED TO KNOW WHICH FBO TO COME TO AND WHERE IT WAS LOCATED. I ADVISED THEM OF THE FBO AND CONTINUED MY PREFLT DURING THE CONVERSATION. AFTER THE PAX ARRIVED I LOADED THE BAGS AND THE FO CLOSED THE MAIN CABIN DOOR. MY NORMAL ROUTINE IS; AS POLICY STATES; TO CHK FOR 'CHOCKS AND GEAR PINS' BEFORE CLOSING THE DOOR. I DO THIS EVERY TIME; HOWEVER I WAS STILL LOADING THE BAGS WHEN THE FO CLOSED THE MAIN DOOR. TAXI AND TKOF WAS NORMAL UNTIL GEAR RETRACTION. THIS IS WHERE WE KNEW THAT I HAD FORGOTTEN TO REMOVE THE GEAR PINS. WE CONTINUED TO OUR DEST WHICH WAS ONLY 25 MINS FROM DEP WITH NO FURTHER PROBS. SOLUTIONS TO PROB: CAPTS DO NOT SWAP ROLES. THIS ALLOWED ME OUTSIDE MY NORMAL ROUTINE. GEAR PINS ARE TO BE SEEN BY OTHER CREW MEMBER OR DOOR IS NOT CLOSED. I SHOULD HAVE PAID MORE ATTN TO THE PREFLT THAN TO THE TIME CONSTRAINTS WE WERE PUT UNDER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 796450: I SAID IS THERE ANYTHING UNSAFE OR ILLEGAL ABOUT THIS? HE SAID NOT THAT HE COULD THINK OF. I THOUGHT FOR A MIN AND I COULD NOT THINK OF ANYTHING THAT WOULD CAUSE A PROB WITH THE AIRPLANE. I ASKED WOULD WE HAVE THE FUEL TO CONTINUE? WE BOTH LOOKED AT THE FUEL AND DISTANCE AND DECIDED THAT WE DEFINITELY DID. AT THAT POINT; THE DECISION TO CONTINUE TO ZZZ WAS MADE. WE WERE THEN VECTORED TOWARD THE FIRST FIX ON OUR FLT PLAN AND CLBED TO 14000 FT. I SET THE MANUAL SPD AT 215. THE CRUISE; DSCNT; AND LNDG WERE ALL NORMAL WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE GEAR BEING DOWN. I THINK ONE FACTOR THAT LEAD TO THE UNINTENTIONAL TKOF WITH GEAR PINS INSTALLED WAS THE EARLY ARR OF THE PAX. THE CAPT SAID THAT HE RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THE PAX DURING HIS PREFLT. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A DISTR AND INTERRUPTED HIS PREFLT ROUTINE. ADDITIONALLY; THE NORMAL PROC IS FOR THE FO TO PERFORM THE PREFLT. THE CAPT ELECTED TO DO THE PREFLT AND DELEGATE OTHER DUTIES TO ME. WHILE SWITCHING SOME DUTIES OCCASIONALLY IS NOT UNCOMMON; IT IS NOT THE NORMAL ROUTINE. THE FACT THAT THE FLT WAS AT NIGHT AND THE AIRPLANE WAS PARKED IN A POORLY LIT AREA CONTRIBUTED TO ME NOT SEEING THE GEAR PINS WHILE WALKING TOWARD THE AIRPLANE. IN THE FUTURE I WILL TAPE A NOTE ON THE THROTTLES THAT WILL ONLY BE REMOVED ONCE BOTH PLTS SEE THAT THE 3 PINS HAVE BEEN REMOVED. THIS SHOULD PREVENT THIS INCIDENT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.