FLT CREW OF DH8 FAIL TO NOTE ALTERNATE LANDING GEAR RELEASE DOOR OPEN DURING PREFLT. GEAR FAILS TO RETRACT AFTER TKOF. FUNCTIONS NORMALLY AFTER CLOSING THE DOOR.

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WE DID ALL THE NORMAL PREFLT INSPECTIONS; FLOWS AND CHKLISTS THEN BOARDED THE FLT AS USUAL. WE WERE ABOUT 20 MINS LATE ON THE PUSHBACK. ON TKOF; THE GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT. WHEN CONTACTING DEP CTL; WE TOLD HIM WE WANTED TO RETURN TO ZZZ AND THAT OUR GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT. WE ALSO SAID WE WANTED DELAY VECTORS SO WE COULD CONTACT OUR MAINT. DEP THEN ASKED IF WE WERE GOING TO BE NEEDING ANY ASSISTANCE. I SAID NO; THE GEAR IS DOWN AND LOCKED AND WE HAVE A 3 GREEN INDICATION ON THE GEAR. I STATED IT WOULD BE A NORMAL LNDG. DEP THEN SAID HE WAS GOING TO 'ROLL THE TRUCKS ANYWAY.' WE CALLED ZZZ OPS AND ASKED THEM TO TELL MAINT TO SELCAL US. WHILE WAITING FOR THEM TO CALL BACK; WE WERE LOOKING UP OUR LNDG NUMBERS AND MAKING SURE WE WERE NOT GOING TO BE OVERWT FOR LNDG. BEFORE MAINT GOT BACK TO US; WE WERE DISCUSSING DOING AN ALTERNATE GEAR EXTENSION PROC WHEN I LOOKED UP AND REALIZED THAT THE ALTERNATE LNDG GEAR RELEASE DOOR WAS OPEN. AFTER CLOSING THE DOOR THE GEAR WORKED NORMALLY AND WE CONTINUED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.