B727 ACFT NOSE GEAR WOULDN'T RETRACT COMPLETELY. FLC DIVERTED AND MAINT DISCOVERED A FLASHLIGHT IN THE NOSE WHEEL WELL WHICH A MECH HAD LEFT THE NIGHT BEFORE. MAINT COMPLETED BY ANOTHER ACR AND LOGBOOK WRITTEN OFF BUT NOT SIGNED.

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XX15 SHOW FOR A YY15 GO. DARK; DAMP; AND FOGGY. EVERYTHING NORMAL DURING PREFLT; INCLUDING THE GEAR PIN COUNT -- 3 ON BOARD. PUSH OK AND SLOW TAXI (QUARTER MI VISIBILITY) TO THE LONG RWY; RWY 4R. TKOF NORMAL UNTIL FO SELECTS GEAR UP. MAINS COME UP NICELY BUT NOSEGEAR LIGHT RED; NOT UP AND LOCKED. CYCLE GEAR BUT NO LUCK. TALK TO MAINT CTL AND DISPATCH. CAPT WANTS TO DIVERT TO XYZ AND THEY AGREE. HOLD FOR A FEW MINS TO BURN DOWN TO OUR LNDG WT; LNDG UNEVENTFUL; TAXI TO THE GATE; CONTRACT MAINT WAITING AS WE COME TO A STOP. NATURALLY WE ALL RUN DOWN TO THE NOSEGEAR TO SEE WHAT THE PROB WAS; EXPECTING TO FIND A GEAR PIN STILL INSTALLED. BUT NO -- NO GEAR PIN. NOTHING OBVIOUSLY WRONG. GENERAL SCRATCHING OF HEADS ALL AROUND; MAINT DISAPPEARS TO REGROUP. A WHILE LATER; WE FIND THE CAUSE -- MAINT HAD TO DISCONNECT AND DROP THE FORWARD NOSE GEAR DOORS SO THEY COULD GET UP INTO THE WHEEL WELL AREA FOR A MORE IN-DEPTH INSPECTION. WHILE THERE; THEY DISCOVERED A FLASHLIGHT; APPARENTLY LEFT BEHIND BY ONE OF OUR COMPANY'S MECHS THE NIGHT BEFORE. THIS FLASHLIGHT WAS POSITIONED SUCH THAT THE SEQUENCING VALVES PREVENTED NORMAL GEAR RETRACTION. MAINT JACKS NOSE UP; SWINGS THE GEAR; DECIDES EVERYTHING IS OK. DISPATCH SAYS CONTINUE ON TO XXX. IT HAS BEEN MANY HRS SINCE WE PUSHED IN ZZZ BUT WE FIND MOST OF OUR PAX AND PREPARE TO GO. JUST BEFORE WE CLOSE THE DOOR; MAINT HANDS ME THE LOGBOOK AND SAYS 'YOU GUYS ARE ALL SET TO GO.' I CHKED FOR AN ENTRY IN THE CORRECTIVE ACTION COLUMN AND WE PUSHED OFF FOR XXX. 5 DAYS LATER MY CHIEF PLT CONTACTED ME TO INFORM ME THAT OUR INCIDENT HAD MADE THE INTERNET AND THAT THE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS OUTLINED BY MAINT IN THE LOGBOOK WERE NOT FOLLOWED BY A SIGNATURE. WE HAD FLOWN TO XXX WITH AN OPEN WRITE-UP! COULD THIS HAVE BEEN AN INTENTIONAL OMISSION?