A DC9-50 AFTER TKOF WAS UNABLE TO RETRACT THE NOSE LNDG GEAR AND THE AIRPLANE REMAINED IN THE GND MODE. CAUSE UNKNOWN.

Narrative

AFTER A ROUTINE TAKE OFF; THE LNDG GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT. I KNEW IMMEDIATELY WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THE ACFT DID NOT SHIFT INTO THE FLT MODE. THE FO AND I COMPLETED THE REQUIRED CHKLIST PROC FOR 'GND SHIFT FAILURE.' WE ADVISED THE TWR AND DEP CTL WE WOULD LIKE TO STAY IN THE LCL AREA. WE WERE GIVEN VECTORS TO STAY WITHIN 20 NM OF ARPT. AFTER CONTACTING OUR DISPATCHER AND MAINTAIN CTL; ALL PARTIES CONCURRED WE SHOULD LAND BACK IN DTW. WE DID NOT DECLARE AN EMER; AS A NORMAL LNDG WAS EXPECTED. WE BRIEFED OUR FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX THAT WE WOULD BE LNDG BACK IN DTW IN 5-10 MINS. A NORMAL ILS TO RWY 22L AND NORMAL LNDG WAS MADE. ON NOSEWHEEL CONTACT AT TOUCHDOWN ALL SEEMED NORMAL. APPROX 90 KTS I REVERTED TO NOSEWHEEL STEERING; AND FOUND IT WOULD NOT TURN. WE WERE ABLE TO COME TO A STOP ON THE CTRLINE. A GREAT DEAL OF VIBRATION; AND SCUFFING OF NOSE TIRES WAS HEARD FROM 90 KTS TO STOPPING. WE WERE UNABLE TO TURN OFF THE RWY L OR R. WE RPTED WE WERE DISABLED ON THE RWY; TO TWR. WE ASKED TO HAVE FIRE-FIGHTING EQUIP COME OUT TO ACFT IN THE EVENT WE HAD SMOKE/FIRE IN NOSE AREA. ALL WAS FINE. WE ADVISED PAX AND FLT ATTENDANTS OF OUR PROB. COMPANY EQUIP CAME AND TOWED US TO AN AVAILABLE GATE. LOGBOOK WRITE-UP WAS MADE ON OUR MALFUNCTION. AFTER TALKING WITH MECH AT THE NOSEWHEEL AREA; HE CONCLUDED WE HAD MULTIPLE PROBS WITH NOSEWHEEL STEERING AND GND SHIFT. A MECHANICAL FAILURE. ONLY THING I WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY IS TO HAVE EMER EQUIP STANDING BY ON RWY IN THE EVENT A ROUTINE PROB TURNS INTO SOMETHING WORSE.