Narrative:

Normal aircraft, captain flying called gear up. First officer raised gear. He hesitated in the off position then continued to the up position. Later, I learned he pulled the manual override trigger to raise handle. Immediately heard a slightly different wind sound. I was watching the gear door lights on flight engineer panel and nose gear door light did not go out. I confirmed it with a red door light on forward instrument panel. I informed the rest of the crew. We reviewed our operating manual and cycled the gear 3 or 4 times. Each time the door light remained illuminated. Crew elected to return to las. On last gear cycle, I observed nose gear through viewing port. With gear up, I saw no outside light. With gear down, saw down locked indication. On approach all indications conditions normal. Touchdown and rollout normal. Made overweight landing. During deceleration through 90 KTS, aircraft started shaking, became more pronounced as gndspd decreased. Aircraft started drifting left of 25R centerline. During last few seconds of deceleration, front of aircraft was gyrating violently. I informed flight attendants to remain seated. When aircraft stopped, I opened cockpit door, and saw a few passenger out of their seats starting to evacuate/evacuation, I yelled 'situation down' and left my station to see outside of aircraft if we had any wheel well fires or anything that would cause us to evacuate/evacuation the aircraft. I noticed nothing unusual, returned to cockpit, completed after- landing and parking checklist. At this time, the fire department had arrived and informed us the only thing they saw was the nose tires were turned 10 degrees from center had mechanics check nose gear, and informed us the steering scissors were disconnected. They hooked up a tug straightened the tires which were still intact but very well worn. Installed all gear pins and pulled us to the gate. Ground man asked me to come down to nose gear before he put the pin in to make sure it was in correctly. I noticed skid marks on the runway from the nose gear, from looking at that and talking with the mechanics we determined the nose gear was free castering and rotating in 360 degree circles when we lost rudder effectiveness. So far, the determination for cause was push back crew unfamiliar with aircraft and did not insert looking pin correctly when reconnecting scissors, and pin came loose after rotation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR LGT ACFT NOSEWHEEL RETRACTION MALFUNCTIONED AND ACFT WAS RETURNED FOR LNDG.

Narrative: NORMAL ACFT, CAPT FLYING CALLED GEAR UP. FO RAISED GEAR. HE HESITATED IN THE OFF POS THEN CONTINUED TO THE UP POS. LATER, I LEARNED HE PULLED THE MANUAL OVERRIDE TRIGGER TO RAISE HANDLE. IMMEDIATELY HEARD A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT WIND SOUND. I WAS WATCHING THE GEAR DOOR LIGHTS ON FLT ENGINEER PANEL AND NOSE GEAR DOOR LIGHT DID NOT GO OUT. I CONFIRMED IT WITH A RED DOOR LIGHT ON FORWARD INST PANEL. I INFORMED THE REST OF THE CREW. WE REVIEWED OUR OPERATING MANUAL AND CYCLED THE GEAR 3 OR 4 TIMES. EACH TIME THE DOOR LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. CREW ELECTED TO RETURN TO LAS. ON LAST GEAR CYCLE, I OBSERVED NOSE GEAR THROUGH VIEWING PORT. WITH GEAR UP, I SAW NO OUTSIDE LIGHT. WITH GEAR DOWN, SAW DOWN LOCKED INDICATION. ON APCH ALL INDICATIONS CONDITIONS NORMAL. TOUCHDOWN AND ROLLOUT NORMAL. MADE OVERWT LNDG. DURING DECELERATION THROUGH 90 KTS, ACFT STARTED SHAKING, BECAME MORE PRONOUNCED AS GNDSPD DECREASED. ACFT STARTED DRIFTING L OF 25R CTRLINE. DURING LAST FEW SECONDS OF DECELERATION, FRONT OF ACFT WAS GYRATING VIOLENTLY. I INFORMED FLT ATTENDANTS TO REMAIN SEATED. WHEN ACFT STOPPED, I OPENED COCKPIT DOOR, AND SAW A FEW PAX OUT OF THEIR SEATS STARTING TO EVAC, I YELLED 'SIT DOWN' AND LEFT MY STATION TO SEE OUTSIDE OF ACFT IF WE HAD ANY WHEEL WELL FIRES OR ANYTHING THAT WOULD CAUSE US TO EVAC THE ACFT. I NOTICED NOTHING UNUSUAL, RETURNED TO COCKPIT, COMPLETED AFTER- LNDG AND PARKING CHKLIST. AT THIS TIME, THE FIRE DEPT HAD ARRIVED AND INFORMED US THE ONLY THING THEY SAW WAS THE NOSE TIRES WERE TURNED 10 DEGS FROM CTR HAD MECHS CHK NOSE GEAR, AND INFORMED US THE STEERING SCISSORS WERE DISCONNECTED. THEY HOOKED UP A TUG STRAIGHTENED THE TIRES WHICH WERE STILL INTACT BUT VERY WELL WORN. INSTALLED ALL GEAR PINS AND PULLED US TO THE GATE. GND MAN ASKED ME TO COME DOWN TO NOSE GEAR BEFORE HE PUT THE PIN IN TO MAKE SURE IT WAS IN CORRECTLY. I NOTICED SKID MARKS ON THE RWY FROM THE NOSE GEAR, FROM LOOKING AT THAT AND TALKING WITH THE MECHS WE DETERMINED THE NOSE GEAR WAS FREE CASTERING AND ROTATING IN 360 DEG CIRCLES WHEN WE LOST RUDDER EFFECTIVENESS. SO FAR, THE DETERMINATION FOR CAUSE WAS PUSH BACK CREW UNFAMILIAR WITH ACFT AND DID NOT INSERT LOOKING PIN CORRECTLY WHEN RECONNECTING SCISSORS, AND PIN CAME LOOSE AFTER ROTATION.

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.