AN MD83 ON TKOF CLB AT 500 FT DECLARED AN EMER AND RETURNED TO THE DEP ARPT DUE TO INABILITY TO RETRACT NOSE LNDG GEAR AND VIBRATION.

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UNABLE TO RETRACT NOSE GEAR AFTER TKOF. BOTH MAIN GEAR INDICATED UP AND RETRACTED. NOSE GEAR INDICATED NOT UP AND RETRACTED WITH RED GEAR LIGHT. CONTINUOUS ACFT VIBRATION AND MUCH HIGHER NOISE LEVEL IN COCKPIT -- MUCH MORE THAN NORMAL. NOSE GEAR REMAINED RED -- INDICATING NOT FULLY UP AND RETRACTED. WE CONTINUED CLB TO 8000 FT MSL -- KEPT ACFT SPD BELOW 230 KTS INITIALLY; CONFIGURED ACFT FOR SLOWER SPD AND SELECTED 210 KTS AT LEVELOFF. RECEIVED VECTORS FROM DEP CTL TO GIVE US TIME TO TAKE OUT AND COMPLETE QRH PROC. AFTER COMPLETING CHKLIST -- ALL INST INDICATIONS FOR ALL SYS INDICATED NORMAL WITH ALL 3 GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED. WE RECEIVED VECTORS FOR APCH AND ARR TO RETURN AND LAND AT ZZZ. FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX WERE BRIEFED THROUGH PA'S AND INTERPHONE ON CONDITION AND PLAN TO RETURN AND LAND AT ZZZ. LNDG WT WAS APPROX 126000 LBS. AN EMER WAS DECLARED TO ENSURE ANY AND ALL BACK-UP EQUIP WAS IN PLACE IN THE EVENT PROBS WERE INCURRED UPON LNDG. TWR WAS SPECIFICALLY ASKED TO PROVIDE VISUAL VERIFICATION THAT NOSE GEAR WAS DOWN -- THAT VERIFICATION WAS RECEIVED ON SHORT FINAL. LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. TWR WAS AGAIN ASKED TO VERIFY NOSE GEAR POS AFTER LNDG WHILE STILL ON RWY -- AND RESPONSE WAS; IT LOOKED NORMAL. BASED ON FEEL OF TILLER AND BRAKE PEDALS; AND LNDG ROLL; DECISION WAS MADE TO TAXI CLR OF RWY AT A VERY SLOW TAXI SPD. UPON INITIAL INSPECTION OF NOSE AT GATE BY MAINT; NOSE GEAR STRUT APPEARED TO BE BOTTOMED OUT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE CAUSE OF THE NOSE GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT AND THE VIBRATION WAS THE NOSE GEAR WAS FLAT. THE NOSE GEAR WHEELS WERE NOT CTRED AND THE NOSE GEAR DOORS WOULD NOT CLOSE. THE RPTR DID NOT KNOW THE MAINT ACTION TAKEN AFTER RETURN TO THE DEP STATION.