FLC FAILS TO FOLLOW NORMAL OPERATING PROC.

Narrative

WE ARRIVED AT MSP AT AA57 AND WENT DIRECTLY TO THE NEXT ACFT TO PREPARE FOR A BB29 SCHEDULED DEP. AN ORIGINATION PREFLT WAS REQUIRED AND; ON MY EXTERIOR SAFETY INSPECTION; I NOTICED EXTERNAL PWR WAS CONNECTED TO THE ACFT. UPON ENTERING THE ACFT; I CHKED THE E-6 AND NOTICED A PLACARD ON THE LNDG GEAR EXTENSION BUT SAW NO PLACARD STICKER NEAR THE GEAR LEVER OR GEAR OVERRIDE BUTTON. NO OTHER ABNORMALITIES WERE NOTED IN THE E-6. ALL PWR WAS OFF AND I TURNED ON THE BATTERY SWITCH -- GOT PWR BUT NO INDICATIONS ON THE CTL PANEL. THE 3 DISPLAY WINDOWS WERE COMPLETELY BLANK. EVEN THOUGH THE EXTERNAL PWR CORD WAS CONNECTED TO THE ACFT; THE AVAIL LIGHT WAS OUT. I CONTINUED MY PREFLT AND FOUND THE GPCU CIRCUIT BREAKER POPPED. I RESET IT -- CONTINUED WITH MY PREFLT AND STARTED THE APU. I PWRED THE ACFT FROM THE APU AND CONTINUED MY PREFLT BUT WAS UNABLE TO DO THE ELECTRICS PANEL BECAUSE OF THE INOP INDICATORS. JUST BEFORE DOING THE WALK AROUND I INFORMED THE CAPT OF THE ELECTRICS PANEL MALFUNCTION; AND OF THE POPPED CIRCUIT BREAKERS. ON MY WALK AROUND I NOTICED A MAINT MAN WORKING ON THE EXTERNAL PWR BOX UNDER THE JET BRIDGE. HE INFORMED ME THAT LIGHTNING HAD SUPPOSEDLY HIT THE BRIDGE AT XX30 THAT MORNING AND HAD FRIED SOME OF THE COMPONENTS IN THE EXTERNAL PWR CTL BOX UNDER THE BRIDGE. I CAREFULLY INSPECTED THE EXTERNAL PWR CONNECTIONS AND FOUND NO BURN MARKS; POPPED CIRCUIT BREAKERS OR ANYTHING UNUSUAL. AFTER MY WALK AROUND; THE MAINT GUY TOLD US HE WOULD HAVE TO ORDER A NEW ELECTRICS 28 PANEL FROM ORD. IT ARRIVED SEVERAL HRS LATER AND HE INSTALLED IT AND RAN THE CHKS WHICH HAD BEEN FAXED IN FROM TUL. THE INDICATORS NOW WORKED; BUT THE ACFT WOULD NOT ACCEPT EXTERNAL PWR FROM EITHER THE JET BRIDGE OR AN EXTERNAL PWR CART. WE WERE TO FLY THE ACFT EMPTY TO DFW AND FINALLY DEPARTED AT CC33 HRS -- A 6 HR DELAY. I FLEW THE ACFT ON DEP AND; AFTER TKOF; THE CAPT COULD NOT GET THE GEAR HANDLE TO RAISE. WE CONTINUED OUR CLB TO 5000 FT AND I ROLLED THE SPD BACK TO 185 KTS. UPON LEVEL OFF I ASKED THE CAPT IF HE WOULD LIKE TO TRY THE GEAR OVERRIDE BUT HE SAID NO BECAUSE OF THE ELECTRICAL PROBS WE HAD HE DIDN'T WANT TO RISK IT. WE BEGAN A DIVERT TO ORD AND THE CAPT KEPT TRYING TO GET A HOLD OF DISPATCH BUT HAD LITTLE LUCK. I SHOWED THE CAPT THE PROC IN THE OPS MANUAL FOR GEAR UNABLE TO RAISE. IT SAID TO USE THE GEAR OVERRIDE BUTTON. THE CAPT TOLD ME HE DID NOT WANT TO RISK NOT GETTING THE GEAR BACK DOWN BECAUSE OF THE ELECTRICAL PROBS AND WE HAD NO PAX SO WE MIGHT AS WELL GO TO ORD TO GET IT FIXED. WE WERE WELL ON OUR WAY TO ORD ALREADY SO I AGREED WITH THE CAPT AND FLEW AN UNEVENTFUL APCH AND LNDG TO ORD. WE LANDED AT EE27 HRS AND WERE MET BY MAINT AND CHIEF PLT AND GAVE ALL A FULL DEBRIEF.