Narrative:

When the captain; who was the PF; called for the gear up; after the positive rate call; a single caution chime was noted as the first officer put the gear lever from the down to up position. The gear retracted normally; with no abnormal indications; noises; or aircraft feels. The single caution chime that was illuminated ws the nose gear steering caution light on the cwp. Once the climb checklist was accomplished and a safe altitude was reached; the captain xferred controls of the airplane to the first officer while the captain accomplished the abnormal checklist for the associated caution light. It was completed by the captain and the caution light extinguished. No other caution lights were illuminated. At that time the captain once again became the PF. Once the cruise checklist was completed; the flight crew called dispatch and told them about the nose gear steering caution light that illuminated. The flight crew wanted to verify with maintenance control about the caution light to see if anything more needed to be done to minimize the maintenance delay in ZZZ and to give them a heads up. Maintenance control told the crew no further action was needed and they would call ZZZ maintenance and give them notice. As the nose gear steering caution light checklist required differential power and breaking to be used when taxiing the airplane; the crew coordinated with ZZZ approach control and ZZZ tower to be assigned runway xxr in ZZZ instead of runway xxl. The crew agreed that without proper nosewheel steering and to keep a workload to a minimum in a busy environment; they would land on runway xxr which would be a short taxi to the gate. ZZZ tower cleared the flight to land around XA00. On about a 5 mi final; when the captain called for the gear down and the first officer moved the gear lever from the up to down position; immediately 3 red gear unsafe lights came on along with the gear handle amber light. No noises from any of the hydraulic pumps were heard. At that time; the captain called for a go around to assess the situation. No caution or emergency lights were illuminated on the cwp panel. Once the initial altitude of 2500 ft was reached on the go around; the captain xferred controls over to the first officer while he ran the checklists and handled communication with the ground and the cabin. Shortly after the controls were xferred over; the crew agreed that the gear was not down and then they declared an emergency at that time with 2 hours of fuel remaining and to have ATC let dispatch know we are handling the problem. They asked ZZZ approach to be placed in a downwind of ZZZ so they can manually extend the gear and stay close to the airport. The captain ran the manual gear extension checklist on the downwind leg. Every switch and lever was in the proper position and after completion of the checklist the gear was indicating 3 green on both of the gear displays. He also alerted the flight attendants first and then made an announcement to the passenger about the reason for the go around. At that time the crew heard a whistling noise from the nose. They were confident that it was a whistling noise from the nose gear doors; but the crew decided to do a fly-by of ZZZ tower to have the controllers take a look at the gear; particularly the nose gear; to make sure no tires were blown. As the crew was being vectored for the fly-by; the captain contacted operations to see if they could get a contract mechanic out to look at it as well. The captain once again contacted the flight attendants; told them we would do a fly-by; and then told the passenger we would be doing a fly-by as well. On the base leg for the fly-by; the first officer xferred controls back over to the captain who remained as PF for the rest of the flight. The fly-by was accomplished and the tower noticed no abnormalities. At that time the crew asked to be vectored around to land on runway xxr. On the downwind leg; the first officer told the flight attendants and passenger we would be landing. Just to be prepared; both the captain and first officer reviewed the evacuate/evacuation memory items if one of the gear collapsed. Once again there were 6 green lights showing that the gear was down; the crew just wanted to make sure all basics were covered. The flight landed at approximately XA38 without incident in an emergency condition. Using the air stream over the rudder; a high speed taxi was utilized and the plane stopped there. Passenger were bussed off about 20 mins later and the crew was met by their superiors and a tug. Appropriate write-ups were entered in aircraft logbooks. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter states that the landing gear selector valve; which is controlled electrically; failed and prevented the landing gear from extending normally.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DHC-8 CAPTAIN REPORTS NOSE GEAR STEERING CAUTION DURING GEAR RETRACTION AND FAILURE OF LANDING GEAR TO EXTEND NORMALLY DURING APPROACH. AFTER GO AROUND MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION IS SUCCESSFUL.

Narrative: WHEN THE CAPT; WHO WAS THE PF; CALLED FOR THE GEAR UP; AFTER THE POSITIVE RATE CALL; A SINGLE CAUTION CHIME WAS NOTED AS THE FO PUT THE GEAR LEVER FROM THE DOWN TO UP POS. THE GEAR RETRACTED NORMALLY; WITH NO ABNORMAL INDICATIONS; NOISES; OR ACFT FEELS. THE SINGLE CAUTION CHIME THAT WAS ILLUMINATED WS THE NOSE GEAR STEERING CAUTION LIGHT ON THE CWP. ONCE THE CLB CHKLIST WAS ACCOMPLISHED AND A SAFE ALT WAS REACHED; THE CAPT XFERRED CTLS OF THE AIRPLANE TO THE FO WHILE THE CAPT ACCOMPLISHED THE ABNORMAL CHKLIST FOR THE ASSOCIATED CAUTION LIGHT. IT WAS COMPLETED BY THE CAPT AND THE CAUTION LIGHT EXTINGUISHED. NO OTHER CAUTION LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. AT THAT TIME THE CAPT ONCE AGAIN BECAME THE PF. ONCE THE CRUISE CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED; THE FLT CREW CALLED DISPATCH AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THE NOSE GEAR STEERING CAUTION LIGHT THAT ILLUMINATED. THE FLT CREW WANTED TO VERIFY WITH MAINT CTL ABOUT THE CAUTION LIGHT TO SEE IF ANYTHING MORE NEEDED TO BE DONE TO MINIMIZE THE MAINT DELAY IN ZZZ AND TO GIVE THEM A HEADS UP. MAINT CTL TOLD THE CREW NO FURTHER ACTION WAS NEEDED AND THEY WOULD CALL ZZZ MAINT AND GIVE THEM NOTICE. AS THE NOSE GEAR STEERING CAUTION LIGHT CHKLIST REQUIRED DIFFERENTIAL PWR AND BREAKING TO BE USED WHEN TAXIING THE AIRPLANE; THE CREW COORDINATED WITH ZZZ APCH CTL AND ZZZ TWR TO BE ASSIGNED RWY XXR IN ZZZ INSTEAD OF RWY XXL. THE CREW AGREED THAT WITHOUT PROPER NOSEWHEEL STEERING AND TO KEEP A WORKLOAD TO A MINIMUM IN A BUSY ENVIRONMENT; THEY WOULD LAND ON RWY XXR WHICH WOULD BE A SHORT TAXI TO THE GATE. ZZZ TWR CLRED THE FLT TO LAND AROUND XA00. ON ABOUT A 5 MI FINAL; WHEN THE CAPT CALLED FOR THE GEAR DOWN AND THE FO MOVED THE GEAR LEVER FROM THE UP TO DOWN POS; IMMEDIATELY 3 RED GEAR UNSAFE LIGHTS CAME ON ALONG WITH THE GEAR HANDLE AMBER LIGHT. NO NOISES FROM ANY OF THE HYD PUMPS WERE HEARD. AT THAT TIME; THE CAPT CALLED FOR A GAR TO ASSESS THE SITUATION. NO CAUTION OR EMER LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED ON THE CWP PANEL. ONCE THE INITIAL ALT OF 2500 FT WAS REACHED ON THE GAR; THE CAPT XFERRED CTLS OVER TO THE FO WHILE HE RAN THE CHKLISTS AND HANDLED COM WITH THE GND AND THE CABIN. SHORTLY AFTER THE CTLS WERE XFERRED OVER; THE CREW AGREED THAT THE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN AND THEN THEY DECLARED AN EMER AT THAT TIME WITH 2 HRS OF FUEL REMAINING AND TO HAVE ATC LET DISPATCH KNOW WE ARE HANDLING THE PROB. THEY ASKED ZZZ APCH TO BE PLACED IN A DOWNWIND OF ZZZ SO THEY CAN MANUALLY EXTEND THE GEAR AND STAY CLOSE TO THE ARPT. THE CAPT RAN THE MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION CHKLIST ON THE DOWNWIND LEG. EVERY SWITCH AND LEVER WAS IN THE PROPER POS AND AFTER COMPLETION OF THE CHKLIST THE GEAR WAS INDICATING 3 GREEN ON BOTH OF THE GEAR DISPLAYS. HE ALSO ALERTED THE FLT ATTENDANTS FIRST AND THEN MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX ABOUT THE REASON FOR THE GAR. AT THAT TIME THE CREW HEARD A WHISTLING NOISE FROM THE NOSE. THEY WERE CONFIDENT THAT IT WAS A WHISTLING NOISE FROM THE NOSE GEAR DOORS; BUT THE CREW DECIDED TO DO A FLY-BY OF ZZZ TWR TO HAVE THE CTLRS TAKE A LOOK AT THE GEAR; PARTICULARLY THE NOSE GEAR; TO MAKE SURE NO TIRES WERE BLOWN. AS THE CREW WAS BEING VECTORED FOR THE FLY-BY; THE CAPT CONTACTED OPS TO SEE IF THEY COULD GET A CONTRACT MECH OUT TO LOOK AT IT AS WELL. THE CAPT ONCE AGAIN CONTACTED THE FLT ATTENDANTS; TOLD THEM WE WOULD DO A FLY-BY; AND THEN TOLD THE PAX WE WOULD BE DOING A FLY-BY AS WELL. ON THE BASE LEG FOR THE FLY-BY; THE FO XFERRED CTLS BACK OVER TO THE CAPT WHO REMAINED AS PF FOR THE REST OF THE FLT. THE FLY-BY WAS ACCOMPLISHED AND THE TWR NOTICED NO ABNORMALITIES. AT THAT TIME THE CREW ASKED TO BE VECTORED AROUND TO LAND ON RWY XXR. ON THE DOWNWIND LEG; THE FO TOLD THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX WE WOULD BE LNDG. JUST TO BE PREPARED; BOTH THE CAPT AND FO REVIEWED THE EVAC MEMORY ITEMS IF ONE OF THE GEAR COLLAPSED. ONCE AGAIN THERE WERE 6 GREEN LIGHTS SHOWING THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN; THE CREW JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE ALL BASICS WERE COVERED. THE FLT LANDED AT APPROX XA38 WITHOUT INCIDENT IN AN EMER CONDITION. USING THE AIR STREAM OVER THE RUDDER; A HIGH SPD TAXI WAS UTILIZED AND THE PLANE STOPPED THERE. PAX WERE BUSSED OFF ABOUT 20 MINS LATER AND THE CREW WAS MET BY THEIR SUPERIORS AND A TUG. APPROPRIATE WRITE-UPS WERE ENTERED IN ACFT LOGBOOKS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE REPORTER STATES THAT THE LANDING GEAR SELECTOR VALVE; WHICH IS CONTROLLED ELECTRICALLY; FAILED AND PREVENTED THE LANDING GEAR FROM EXTENDING NORMALLY.

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.