DO-328 MECHANIC DID NOT HAVE NOSE GEAR PIN REMOVED PRIOR TO TKOF AT PWM.

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PREFLT PERFORMED AT GATE AFTER MAINT WAS PERFORMED THE PREVIOUS NIGHT MECHANIC INSERTED A NOSE GEAR PIN SO THE ACFT COULD BE TOWED TO THE GATE. TKOF WITH GEAR PIN IN NOSE GEAR. GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT. RTNED TO ZZZ ARPT. DURING PREFLT THE FIRST OFFICER DID SEE THE PIN BUT FAILED TO RELAY INFO TO CAPT. BETTER INFO TRANSFER FROM FIRST OFFICER TO CAPT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS SIT. DOUBLE CHKING EACH OTHER'S WORK WOULD ALSO BE AN IDEA TO ENTRY WHEN THE GEAR PIN WAS INSTALLED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 535514: THE ACFT HAD A BOOT PROB ON 01/WED/02 SO WE WERE STUCK IN ZZZ UNTIL THE PROB WAS FIXED. IT STARTED AT ABOUT XA30 ON 01/WED/02 AND WENT UNTIL XI00 WHEN THEY FINALLY DECIDED THAT THE ACFT WOULD NOT BE FIXED IN TIME AND WE WERE TOLD TO GO THE HOTEL AND RTN FOR THE FIRST FLT TO LGA ON 01/THU/02. THE SHOW TIME WAS XA25 WE ARRIVED AND DID OUR NORMAL CHECK IN WITH THE GATE. WE THEN PROCEEDED TO ONE OF THE TWO OF OUR ACFT ON THE RAMP. ONE WAS GOING TO BOS AND THE OTHER WAS OUR ACFT GOING TO LGA. WHEN I DID THE PREFLT; EVERYTHING WAS IN GOOD CONDITION AND THERE WAS A GEAR PIN IN THE NOSE GEAR WHICH I THOUGHT WAS GOING TO BE FOR A PUSH SINCE THERE WERE TWO DORNIERS NEXT TO EACH OTHER. THEY WERE ALSO IN CLOSE PROXIMITY OF EACH OTHER. WHEN WE TOOK OFF THE NOSE GEAR DID NOT RETRACT. WE RAN THE APPROPRIATE CHECKLIST AND RTNED TO ZZZ AND LANDED. THE MECHANIC THAT HAD INSTALLED THE PIN WAS RIDING BACK WITH US AND ASKED HIM IF HE HAD LEFT IT IN AND HE DID ADMIT TO LEAVING THE PIN IN. THEREFORE; RAMP HAD NO IDEA THE PIN WAS IN. I THOUGHT THAT RAMP HAD PUT THE PIN IN FOR A PUSH. ONCE WE LANDED THE MECHANIC THAT WAS RIDING WITH US RAN OUT AND REMOVED THE PIN. THAT IS WHY I BELIEVE THE PIN WAS HIS. ONCE AGAIN THERE WERE TWO DORNIERS AND I THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO PUSH US OUT I BELIEVED IT WAS RAMPS PIN. I MADE THE MISTAKE IN NOT QUERYING WHETHER WE PUSH OR NOT FROM THIS STATION THAT I HADN'T OVERNIGHTED IN OVER A YEAR. THERE WERE THREE GEAR PINS IN THE COCKPIT. NORMAL OPERATION THE MECHANICS USE THE ACFT GEAR PINS LOCATED IN THE COCKPIT. WE HAD ALL THREE GEAR PINS. IF THERE HAD BEEN ONE MISSING; I WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT IT WAS THE MECHANICS AND NOT THE RAMPERS BUT IT TURNED OUT THAT THE MECHANIC HAD HIS OWN GEAR PIN AND THAT WAS THE PIN INSTALLED IN THE NOSE GEAR. THERE WERE TO MANY GEAR PINS. IF THERE ARE MORE THAN THREE THEY HAVE CAME FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE OTHER THAN THE ACFT. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN SOLVED IF THE MECHANIC HAD USED THE APPROPRIATE PIN FROM THE COCKPIT AND HAD REMOVED THE PIN WHEN HE WAS FINISHED.