Narrative:

Raised gear lever and nose gear remained in the down position. Attempted recycling several times and then proceeded back to dtw and landed. Upon returning to gate in dtw, it was discovered the nose gear safety pin was still inserted. Events leading up to this were as follows: upon reaching the aircraft for preflight prior to our scheduled departure, the aircraft logbook was signed off for the maintenance preflight and the following notation was written in the logbook 'gear pins removed and stowed.' the aircraft had come from the hangar where previous maintenance had been performed on the air conditioning system. The so did his normal preflight with no discrepancies noted. He looked in the nose gear wheel well and did not observe the gear pin or its associated streamer. After landing he looked at the gear pin and saw the streamer was very dirty. Comments: at least 4 people, who are highly competent, trained individuals, missed seeing the gear pin installed. I suggest that all gear pin streamers be replaced by bright orange fluorescent streamers and attached to somewhere it couldn't be missed. Supplemental information from acn 242717: I went outside to do the exterior walk around inspection. This went normally and I found no discrepancies. I had no reason to suspect that the landing gear pins were installed. I did not find gear pins installed in the left or right main gear. I remember looking up into the nose gear wheel well and not seeing a nose gear pin installed with its attached red flag. Someone must have declared an emergency for us because crash trucks met us at the end of the runway. I couldn't believe that 2 or 3 mechanics had missed it! I couldn't believe that I had missed it! Perhaps I trusted them too much. Perhaps after thousands of exterior preflts on the large transport I had gotten into a rhythm/routine and looked but didn't really see.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR LGT RETURN LAND AFTER BEING UNABLE TO RAISE NOSE GEAR AFTER TKOF. NOSE GEAR DOWN LOCK PIN STILL IN PLACE.

Narrative: RAISED GEAR LEVER AND NOSE GEAR REMAINED IN THE DOWN POS. ATTEMPTED RECYCLING SEVERAL TIMES AND THEN PROCEEDED BACK TO DTW AND LANDED. UPON RETURNING TO GATE IN DTW, IT WAS DISCOVERED THE NOSE GEAR SAFETY PIN WAS STILL INSERTED. EVENTS LEADING UP TO THIS WERE AS FOLLOWS: UPON REACHING THE ACFT FOR PREFLT PRIOR TO OUR SCHEDULED DEP, THE ACFT LOGBOOK WAS SIGNED OFF FOR THE MAINT PREFLT AND THE FOLLOWING NOTATION WAS WRITTEN IN THE LOGBOOK 'GEAR PINS REMOVED AND STOWED.' THE ACFT HAD COME FROM THE HANGAR WHERE PREVIOUS MAINT HAD BEEN PERFORMED ON THE AIR CONDITIONING SYS. THE SO DID HIS NORMAL PREFLT WITH NO DISCREPANCIES NOTED. HE LOOKED IN THE NOSE GEAR WHEEL WELL AND DID NOT OBSERVE THE GEAR PIN OR ITS ASSOCIATED STREAMER. AFTER LNDG HE LOOKED AT THE GEAR PIN AND SAW THE STREAMER WAS VERY DIRTY. COMMENTS: AT LEAST 4 PEOPLE, WHO ARE HIGHLY COMPETENT, TRAINED INDIVIDUALS, MISSED SEEING THE GEAR PIN INSTALLED. I SUGGEST THAT ALL GEAR PIN STREAMERS BE REPLACED BY BRIGHT ORANGE FLUORESCENT STREAMERS AND ATTACHED TO SOMEWHERE IT COULDN'T BE MISSED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 242717: I WENT OUTSIDE TO DO THE EXTERIOR WALK AROUND INSPECTION. THIS WENT NORMALLY AND I FOUND NO DISCREPANCIES. I HAD NO REASON TO SUSPECT THAT THE LNDG GEAR PINS WERE INSTALLED. I DID NOT FIND GEAR PINS INSTALLED IN THE L OR R MAIN GEAR. I REMEMBER LOOKING UP INTO THE NOSE GEAR WHEEL WELL AND NOT SEEING A NOSE GEAR PIN INSTALLED WITH ITS ATTACHED RED FLAG. SOMEONE MUST HAVE DECLARED AN EMER FOR US BECAUSE CRASH TRUCKS MET US AT THE END OF THE RWY. I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT 2 OR 3 MECHS HAD MISSED IT! I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT I HAD MISSED IT! PERHAPS I TRUSTED THEM TOO MUCH. PERHAPS AFTER THOUSANDS OF EXTERIOR PREFLTS ON THE LGT I HAD GOTTEN INTO A RHYTHM/ROUTINE AND LOOKED BUT DIDN'T REALLY SEE.

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.