LNDG GEAR FAILS TO RETRACT FULLY ON DHC8 DEPARTING FROM ZZZ. DURING COMPLETION OF THE IRREGULAR PROC; THE GEAR RETRACTS FULLY AND THEN IS DEPLOYED FOR AN UNEVENTFUL PRECAUTIONARY LNDG AT THE DEP ARPT.

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AFTER TKOF; I NOTICED THE LNDG GEAR UNSAFE LIGHTS WERE ON. WE HAD 3 RED LIGHTS ON THE GEAR POS INDICATOR AS WELL AS THE LNDG GEAR HANDLE LIGHT ON. THE TWR ALSO STATED OUR GEAR WAS EXTENDED. I XFERRED CTL OF THE ACFT TO THE FO. I DECLARED AN EMER AND DECIDED THAT WE WOULD RETURN TO ZZZ. I DECIDED THAT THE ALTERNATE GEAR EXTENSION CHKLIST WAS THE APPROPRIATE ACTION TO FOLLOW; AND BEGAN THE ABNORMAL CHKLIST. A VERY SHORT TIME LATER; WHILE DOING THE ALTERNATE GEAR CHKLIST; THE GEAR RETRACTED IN A NORMAL FASHION WITH ALL INDICATIONS OF THE GEAR BEING UP. I SUSPECTED THAT THESE ALTERNATE GEAR DOOR HANDLES COULD BE PART OF THE PROB. I COMPLETED ALL REQUIRED CHKLISTS FOR NORMAL FLT AND DECIDED SINCE NO ABNORMAL INDICATIONS WERE PRESENT; TO EXTEND THE GEAR NORMALLY; WHICH WE DID SUCCESSFULLY. WE CANCELED OUR EMER STATUS WITH ATC; AND PROCEEDED IN FOR A NORMAL PRECAUTIONARY LNDG. I ALSO BRIEFED THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX OF OUR CURRENT SIT. I MADE A LOGBOOK ENTRY IN ACFT LOGBOOK. MAINT FOUND AND CORRECTED THE CAUSE FOR THE ABNORMAL GEAR INDICATION; A CEILING PANEL OBSTRUCTING THE ALTERNATE GEAR DOOR HANDLE. THE ACFT WAS RETURNED TO SVC AND WE CONTINUED ON WITH OUR NORMAL FLT DUTIES. I FEEL THAT OUR LONG DUTY DAY AND LACK OF FOOD AVAILABLE FOR NUTRITION MADE OUR JOB OF IDENTING THE PROB HARDER.