FLC OF ACR MLG EXPERIENCES DIFFICULTY IN INTERPRETING THE ABNORMAL PROCS CHKLIST UPON FAILURE OF AN AIR/GND SENSOR SWITCH ON DEP FROM CLT.

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OUR FLT DEPARTED RWY 36 AT CLT NORMAL TKOF. CAPT CALLED FOR 'GEAR UP.' GEAR HANDLE WOULD NOT MOVE FROM DOWN POS. CAPT FLEW AND OPERATED RADIO WHILE I REFERRED TO ACFT PLT'S HANDBOOK. CAPT COORDINATED LOWER AIRSPD WITH MAINT CTL TO STAY BELOW 200 KT GEAR SPD LIMIT. DURING CLBOUT; A LIFT DUMPER FAULT MESSAGE APPEARED ON MFDU. THE WORKING IN THE ABNORMAL PROC WAS AMBIGUOUS IN THIS CASE -- WE WEREN'T SURE IF THE LIFT DUMPER FAULT MESSAGE QUALIFIED AS A 'GRD/FLT CTL' FAULT MESSAGE OR NOT. I CALLED CLT OPS ON THE #2 RADIO TO GET A CLARIFICATION FROM MAINT CTL -- THE MAINT SUPVR DID NOT KNOW THE ANSWER. WE ASKED HIM TO CALL PIT AND GET A CLARIFICATION FOR US. BY THE TIME HE CALLED BACK; WE WERE ABOUT HALFWAY TO CAE. THE WX WAS CONSIDERABLY BETTER IN CAE THAN CLT. THE 'RELAYED' INFO THAT WE HAD FROM MAINT LEFT SOME DOUBT AS TO POSSIBLE AIR/GND LOGIC PROBLEMS THAT MIGHT ARISE IF WE OVERRODE THE GEAR TO BRING IT UP; SO WE ELECTED TO JUST LEAVE THE GEAR DOWN FOR THE FEW REMAINING MI TO CAE; WHERE WE COULD LAND WITH GOOD WX AND THEN TALK DIRECTLY TO PIT MAINT ON THE PHONE. RECOMMENDATION -- CHANGE THE ABNORMAL PROC IN THE PLT'S HANDBOOK TO ELIMINATE THE AMBIGUOUS WORKING; AND PROVIDE MORE SPECIFIC GUIDANCE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM WAS A FAILED AIR/GND SENSOR SWITCH; THIS LEADING TO THE LIFT DUMPER FAULT MESSAGE. THE WORDING THE ABNORMAL PROCS CHKLIST MAY HAVE BEEN AMBIGUOUS; THE ABNORMAL PROCS NOTES THAT 'A' AIR/GND FAULT MESSAGE IS THE RESULT OF... RATHER THAT 'THE' AIR/GND FAULT MESSAGE IS A RESULT OF... THE FLC WAS CONFUSED THAT THERE MAY BE A FAMILY OF SUCH ERROR CAUSES AND WAS UNSURE IF PROCS ALLOWED GEAR RETRACTION OVERRIDE (WHICH IN FACT WAS PERMISSIBLE). THE RPTR HAS FILED A RPT WITH HIS COMPANY NOTING THE ALLEGED MISLEADING WORDING OF THE ABNORMAL PROCS CHKLIST. THE COMPANY NOTED THAT THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF LIKE FAILURES WITH THE AIR/GND SENSOR; AND HAS INSTITUTED A CHANGE-OUT OF SENSORS RATHER THAN ANY WORDING CHANGE IN THE CHKLIST.