UNKNOWN ACFT CREW DID NOT HAVE ACFT PROPERLY CONFIGURED HYDRAULICALLY FOR LNDG;

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TASK SATURATION. SELF INDUCED. WHILE ON MINKS 1 ARR INTO LGA WITH NUMEROUS VECTORS AND SMALL STEPDOWNS FOR SPACING ON STAR; ACTUAL PROFILE DSCNT WAS INITIATED AT FL260. AS DSCNT WAS STARTED; SENIOR FLT ATTENDANT ENTERED COCKPIT WITH CABIN MAINT WRITE-UPS. CAPT'S LEG (SEGMENT) PBI-LGA WITH FO PRIMARY DUTIES ATC (RADIOS) AS I (CAPT) WAS FLYING THE ACFT I HAD THE FO WRITE THE CABIN DISCREPANCIES IN THE MAINT LOG AND ADVISE COMPANY OF LOGBOOK WRITE-UPS AS HE WAS ON COMPANY RADIO FREQ; I WOULD FLY ACFT AND MONITOR PRIMARY RADIO (ATC). AS WE DSNDED THROUGH FL180 QNH WAS SET; SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ILLUMINATED. (AS WE USED THE ACARS SYS TO PRINT LGA ATIS APCH IN USE WAS ALREADY KNOWN; BRIEFED AND SPD/ALT BUGS WERE SET.) CABIN CREW PREPARED CABIN FOR FINAL APCH INTO LGA. AS WE LEVELED OFF AT 11000 FT; FO JUST FINISHED BRIEFING LGA OPS OF MAINT ACTION REQUIREMENTS; GATE INFO; ETC; AND TOOK OVER PRIMARY RADIO DUTIES. AS FL180 IS NORMAL PHASE OF FLT FOR DSCNT/APCH CHKLIST AND AS WE WERE ALREADY AT 11000 FT WITH ALL BUGS SET; THE DSCNT CHKLIST WAS OVERLOOKED (MISSED). THE MOST IMPORTANT ITEM ON THAT CHKLIST IS THE HYD PUMPS -- HIGH AND ON. WITHOUT THIS ACTION; AS ACFT IS CONFIGURED FOR LNDG; NOSE GEAR WOULD NOT EXTEND TO THE DOWN AND LOCKED POS. LNDG HAD TO BE ABORTED. SWITCH POS WAS REALIZED; APPROPRIATE CHKLISTS WERE RUN AND FLT LANDED SAFELY.