SMA PLT HAD TRACK AND ALTDEV WHILE TRYING TO CTL THE ACFT WHEN THE R MAIN GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT.

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ON DEC/SAT/02; I WAS BRINGING A BRASOV IAR 823 FROM MONTREAL (DUVALL) TO PORTLAND; ME. ON TKOF; THE MONTREAL TWR DIRECTED ME TO 180 DEGS MAGNETIC; CLB AND MAINTAIN 2000 FT; REMAIN VFR. THE BASE OF THE CLOUDS WAS APPROX 3600 FT AGL. ON LIFTOFF; I RAISED THE GEAR AND IMMEDIATELY EXPERIENCED THE SEVERE YAW TO THE R. IN CHKING THE NEEDLE/BALL; IT WAS CLR THAT THE BALL WAS FAR TO THE R. THE PLANE WAS SLIGHTLY UNSTABLE; SO I ACCELERATED TO APPROX 110 KTS. ALTHOUGH INITIALLY SUSPECTING A PROB WITH THE FIXED RUDDER TRIM; I WAS SOON ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT THE PROB WAS THAT THE R MAIN LNDG GEAR HAD NOT COMPLETELY RISEN. I LEVELED THE PLANE AT ABOUT 1500 FT AND BEGAN TO CYCLE THE LNDG GEAR IN ORDER TO DETERMINE IF IT COULD BE FIXED IN THE AIR. THE STRONG YAW TO THE R WAS MAKING THE ACFT SLIGHTLY DIFFICULT TO CTL. THE R MAIN GEAR WOULD NOT COME UP REGARDLESS OF WHAT TACTICS I TRIED. I BELIEVE I DEVIATED FROM THE ASSIGNED HDG AND ALT WHILE TRYING TO REMEDY THE GEAR PROB. AT THIS TIME; THE ACFT WAS APPROX 15-20 MI FROM MONTREAL AND CLOSE TO THE UNITED STATES BORDER. I DECIDED TO LOWER THE LNDG GEAR AND FLY THE PLANE WITH THE LNDG GEAR EXTENDED; MAINTAINING THE 110 KIAS. AT THIS TIME; FRANKLIN COUNTY ARPT WAS CLOSER THAN TO RETURN TO MONTREAL. I MADE A DECISION TO FLY TO FRANKLIN COUNTY BECAUSE IT WAS CLOSER. I INFORMED MONTREAL DEP CTL THAT I WAS HAVING A LNDG GEAR EMER AND REQUESTED PERMISSION TO GO DIRECTLY TO FRANKLIN COUNTY. MONTREAL DEP REQUIRED ME TO STAY ON THEIR FREQ UNTIL APCHING THE CANADIAN BORDER; WHICH I DID. COM WITH MONTREAL DEP CTL INDICATED THEY WOULD ADVISE PORTLAND CUSTOMS THAT I WOULD BE LNDG AT FRANKLIN COUNTY; VT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; MONTREAL DEP CTL ADVISED ME THAT BURLINGTON CUSTOMS HAD BEEN NOTIFIED AND WOULD MEET US AT FRANKLIN COUNTY. I REQUESTED MONTREAL TO CLOSE OUT OUR FLT PLAN AND THEY INDICATED THAT THEY WOULD. ON ARR IN FRANKLIN COUNTY; WE WERE MET BY BURLINGTON CUSTOMS; INSPECTED; AND CLRED. LATER; WE WERE PICKED UP BY FRIENDS TO RETURN TO PORTLAND; ME; AND LEARNED THAT THE FLT PLAN HAD NOT BEEN CLOSED AS WE BELIEVED. WE ADVISED ZBW OF THE INCIDENT AND THEY ADVISED US THAT THEY WOULD CLOSE THE FLT PLAN.