GAR INITIATED AFTER DC-9 CREW NOTED THAT THERE WAS NOT A GEAR DOWN INDICATION FOR THE NOSE GEAR. NIGHT OP.

Narrative

UPON LOWERING OF LNDG GEAR AT OM THE GREEN NOSE GEAR DOWN AND LOCK LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE. THE CAPT INITIATED A MISSED APCH. I ATTEMPTED TO CHANGE THE 2 BULBS BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL DUE TO ITS POS IN THE SOCKET AND THE LOW ALT TURB ENCOUNTERED. THERE IS NO PUSH TO TEST FUNCTION ON A DC9 MODEL ACFT. THE CAPT ORDERED ME TO ACCOMPLISH THE APPROPRIATE CHKLIST; I WENT OFF FREQ AND DID A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE NOSE DOWN LOCK AND CONFIRMED IT APPEARED DOWN. WE ACCOMPLISHED A FLY BY AND THE TWR CONFIRMED THE GEAR APPEARED DOWN. TWR INSTRUCTED US TO CLB STRAIGHT AHEAD BUT DUE TO OUR FUEL SIT CAPT HAD ME TELL THEM WE WILL MAKE A TIGHT L TURN AND MAKE THE APCH. WE SWITCHED TO APCH FOR VECTORS BACK TO THE ILS. WE HAD THE EMER EQUIP STAND BY AND BRIEFED THE CABIN FOR A POSSIBLE EMER LNDG. AS WE LANDED AND THE NOSE TOUCHED DOWN; 1 OF THE 2 DOWN AND LOCK LIGHTS ILLUMINATED; ON THE TAXI IN THEY BOTH ILLUMINATED. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: PUSH TO TEST FUNCTION SHOULD BE INSTALLED. HUMAN FACTORS: I FIRMLY BELIEVE A 2-MAN CREW IS PUSHING THE LIMIT ON THIS SIT ESPECIALLY IN TURB AND A LOW FUEL STATE BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE COMPANY'S TRYING TO SAVE COST AND DISPATCHING WITH MINIMUM FUEL. BUT I ALSO FEEL OUR COMPANY AS THE BEST EMER TRAINING AVAILABLE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR REVEALED THAT THE PROB OF CHANGING THE NOSE GEAR BULBS (2) WAS EXACERBATED BY THE TURB. HE HAD PULLED THE COVER OFF THE BULBS AND EVEN HAD A PAIR OF PLIERS TO FACILITATE THE REMOVAL BUT DUE TO THE TURB; GOT SHOCKED TWICE IN THE ENSUING ATTEMPTS. THE VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE NOSE GEAR AND THE DETERMINATION OF BEING 'OVER CTR' WAS DIFFICULT AT BEST AND WAS COVERED WITHIN THE ACR SAFETY REVIEW OF THE INCIDENT THE NEXT DAY. THE POST-FLT INSPECTION FAILED TO FIND A SWITCH PROB. THE CHANGING OF THE LIGHT BULBS SEEMED TO FIX THE PROB. FLT LANDED WITH 40 MINS OF FUEL; ABOUT 3000 LBS WHICH THE FO DID NOT THINK WAS TOO MUCH. HE DOESN'T APPRECIATE THE FUEL SAVING PROCS THAT ACRS FOLLOW.