SMT PVT ACFT HAD NOSEWHEEL STEERING SCISSORS DISCONNECTED FOR TOWING; BUT THE GND PERSONNEL AS WELL AS RPTR PLT FAILED TO ENSURE THEY WERE RECONNECTED. AFTER TKOF THE NOSE GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT.

Narrative

IT WAS A FLT TO RELOCATE AN ACFT FROM LEX TO 27K (10 MI). IT WAS RAINING DURING THE PREFLT. NOT TO MY KNOWLEDGE; LINE SVC HAD DISCONNECTED THE NOSEWHEEL SCISSORS FOR TOWING AND FAILED TO RECONNECT THEM. ON PREFLT IT LOOKED TO BE IN THE NORMAL POS AND ON TAXI IT OPERATED NORMALLY. I HAD NO IDEA THERE WAS A NOSEWHEEL PROB. HOWEVER; AFTER TKOF; WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO RETRACT THE LNDG GEAR; THE NOSEWHEEL WOULD NOT RETRACT -- THAT IS WHEN I KNEW THERE WAS A PROB. I DID A LOW PASS TO 27K SO THE MECH COULD VISUALLY SEE WHAT THE PROB WAS. HE INFORMED ME THAT THE NOSEWHEEL WAS OFF CTR TO THE L. AT THAT POINT; I DECIDED TO RETURN TO LEX WHERE THERE ARE BETTER FACILITIES TO HANDLE THE PROB. I DECLARED AN EMER. ON LNDG; I FEATHERED BOTH THE PROPS THEN ATTEMPTED TO KEEP THE NOSEWHEEL OFF AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. THE ACFT CAME TO A STOP WITH NO DAMAGE. I FEEL THERE ARE 2 FACTORS THAT CAME INTO PLAY ON THIS. AFTER TALKING TO LINE SVC; I DISCOVERED THAT THEY HAD DISCONNECTED THE NOSE GEAR FOR TOWING AND NOT RECONNECTED IT OR FLAGGED THAT IT WAS DISCONNECTED. I SHOULD HAVE PHYSICALLY VERIFIED THAT IT WAS IN FACT CONNECTED. A COMBINATION OF ISSUES ARE INVOLVED IN THIS EVENT. IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO CHK THIS. HOWEVER; LINE SVC SHOULD NOT HAVE DISCONNECTED IT WITHOUT PERMISSION. I WANTED TO PASS THIS ON SO IT WILL NOT HAPPEN TO SOMEONE ELSE IN THE FUTURE.