AN ACR B727 CAPT RPTS THAT HIS SO FAILED TO FIND A FLASHLIGHT JAMMING HIS NOSE GEAR IN THE DOWN POS DURING HIS PREFLT INSPECTION. THEN THE 2 OF THEM FAILED TO GET A PROPER LOGBOOK ENTRY AFTER A DIVERSION TO ALTERNATE.

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ON CLBOUT; NOSE GEAR DID NOT RETRACT; ALTHOUGH MAIN GEAR DID RETRACT. THE WX WAS BELOW LNDG MINIMUMS AND WE DECIDED TO PROCEED TO IAD RATHER THAN OUR TKOF ALTERNATE OF RIC. OUR WT AT THE TIME WAS 188000 LBS; 34000 LBS OVER LNDG WT. I ELECTED TO FLY AT FLAPS 5 DEGS; 190 KTS BECAUSE OF THE LNDG GEAR DOOR LIMIT SPD OF 200 KTS. WE PROCEEDED TO MARTINSBURG VOR AND REQUESTED TO HOLD TILL WE WERE AT LNDG WT; 154500 LBS. VFR CONDITIONS AT IAD. WE LANDED NORMALLY. THE COMPANY CALLED MECHS FROM ANOTHER AIRLINE. THE MECHS FOUND A 3 CELL MAGNETIC FLASHLIGHT LODGED IN THE NOSE LNDG GEAR STRUT. THE FLASHLIGHT WOULD NOT ALLOW THE NOSE GEAR TO RETRACT; THE MECHS SWUNG THE GEAR. THE MECHS WERE NOT FAMILIAR WITH OUR LOGBOOK AND WRITE-OFF PROC. I THEN PUT THE FE WITH THE MECHS TO EXPLAIN OUR PROCS. THE FE ASSURED ME THAT ALL THE WRITE- OFFS WERE DONE. WE WERE THEN RUSHED OUT OF IAD WITH PAX GOING TO IAH. I FOUND OUT 3 DAYS LATER FROM THE CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE THAT THE WRITE-OFFS WERE NOT IN THE LOGBOOK. IT SEEMS THE MECHS FILLED OUT THEIR COMPANY PAPERWORK; BUT NOT OUR LOGBOOK. IN ALL THE CONFUSION; I RELIED ON THE FE TO HANDLE THE LOGBOOK TASKS. I THOUGHT WE DID A WONDERFUL JOB WITH THE EMER; BUT THE LOGBOOK SLIPPED BTWN THE CRACKS.