A C500 CAPT RPTED A NOSE GEAR DOOR PROB AFTER TKOF FROM RDU.

Narrative

DURING TKOF FROM RDU WITH 2 PAX ON BOARD IN CONDITIONS THAT WERE 200 FT CEILINGS WITH 1-2 MI VISIBILITY IN MODERATE RAIN. WE DEPARTED THE RWY NORMALLY; AND RAISED THE LNDG GEAR HANDLE. THE GEAR TRANSIT LIGHT ILLUMINATED; AND ALL THE TIMING WAS NORMAL. UPON THE GEAR HITTING THE WELLS AND THE LIGHTS GOING OUT NORMALLY; A NOISE COULD BE DETECTED IN THE NOSE GEAR AREA. MY IMMEDIATE THOUGHT WAS THAT A NOSE GEAR DOOR WAS HANGING UP. I CYCLED THE GEAR ONCE MORE; AND AS BEFORE; ALL TIMING AND LIGHTS WERE NORMAL; BUT THE NOISE IN THE NOSE GEAR AREA PERSISTED. I INFORMED RALEIGH APCH/DEP THAT WE HAD A GEAR DOOR PROB; AND THEY ASKED IF WE WOULD LIKE TO RETURN TO RDU. WITH THE WX AT MINIMUMS AT RDU; WE DECIDED TO BE VECTORED TOWARDS BETTER WX AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT THE PROB FURTHER. AS WE WERE HEADING TO TEB; THE CTLR VECTORED US APPROX ON COURSE; AND WE CONTINUED TO CLB. IN THE CLB; WE CYCLED THE GEAR 2 MORE TIMES; AND ALL REMAINED THE SAME; INCLUDING THE NOISE. AFTER DISCUSSING THE SIT WITH THE FO AND THE PAX; WE DECIDED TO CLB TO THE MID 20'S (FL240); AND INTO THINNER AIR AND LEAVE THE GEAR DOWN; WHICH HAD BEEN RESULTING IN NORMAL NOISE AND NORMAL LIGHTS. ALL REMAINING PORTIONS OF THE FLT WERE NORMAL. UPON REACHING TEB; WE LET THE PAX OFF; AND I EXAMINED THE NOSE GEAR AREA. WITH A FLASHLIGHT; I EXAMINED THE GEAR DOORS AND LINKAGE; AND IMMEDIATELY LOCATED THE PROB; WHICH WAS A SINGLE BOLT MISSING FROM THE NOSE GEAR DOOR ACTUATOR ATTACHMENT BRACKET; WHERE THE BRACKET IS SECURED TO THE R SIDE OF THE NOSE GEAR WHEEL WELL. I CALLED THE COMPANY DISPATCHER AND DISCUSSED THE PROB WITH HER. I ASKED IF THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT WAS IN TOWN; AND SHE SAID HE WAS ON A FLT; WHICH SHOULD BE RETURNING MOMENTARILY. AS WE WERE DISCUSSING THE FLT FROM RDU; THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT CALLED IN ON THE OTHER LINE TO THE DISPATCHER. SHE PUT ME ON HOLD FOR APPROX 1 MIN OR 2 MINS AND RETURNED TO THE LINE. SHE INDICATED THAT THE OTHER CALL WAS; IN FACT; THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT; THEY WERE BACK FROM THEIR TRIP; AND HE WAS ON THE WAY TO HIS HOUSE. I ASSUMED THAT BECAUSE OF THE LENGTH OF TIME SHE WAS OFF THE LINE WITH ME; THAT SHE FILLED THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT IN ON OUR FLT. WHEN SHE RETURNED TO THE LINE; I TOLD HER WE HAD FURTHER EXAMINED THE DOOR AND DETERMINED IT NOT TO BE A PROB FOR THE SHORT FLT FROM TEB TO N67. I ALSO TOLD HER WE INTENDED TO LEAVE THE GEAR DOWN AS WE HAD FOR THE FLT FROM RDU. NO OTHER PROBS WERE ENCOUNTERED; AND WE LANDED THE ACFT NORMALLY AT N67. THE FOLLOWING DAY; I WAS INFORMED BY THE OPERATOR THAT I HAD NOT FOLLOWED PROC ON THE MEL ISSUES. ALTHOUGH THE FLT FROM TEB TO N67 WAS A PART 91 FLT WITH NO PAX; THE OPERATOR PERSISTED THAT I HAD NOT DISCUSSED THE ISSUE IN PERSON; MYSELF; WITH THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT. MY SUGGESTION AS TO HOW THIS PROB COULD BE AVOIDED IS TO FURTHER TRAIN THE DISPATCHER; DIRECTOR OF MAINT; AND THE LINE PLTS AS TO WHEN A FLT SHOULD/SHOULD NOT BE CONDUCTED PART 135 OR PART 91 AFTER ANY OR EACH TYPE OF MALFUNCTION.