DHC8 ABANDONS APCH WHEN NOSE GEAR FAILS TO INDICATE DOWN AND LOCKED. PREVIOUS UNASSOCIATED DELAYS COMBINED WITH TROUBLE- SHOOTING THE NOSE GEAR RESULT IN ULTIMATE LNDG WITH MINIMUM FUEL.

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UPON FINAL APCH INTO ZZZ WHEN THE GEAR WAS SELECTED DOWN AND THE MAIN GEAR WAS INDICATING DOWN AND GREEN; THE NOSE GEAR GAVE AN UNSAFE RED LIGHT AND WAS NOT INDICATING DOWN. WE WENT MISSED AND ENTERED A HOLD TO RUN THE CHKLISTS; CONTACT COMPANY AND MAINT CTL. ON THE MISSED; I HEARD THE CAPT SAY 'ROLL THE TRUCKS' AND THOUGHT SHE WANTED ME TO DECLARE AN EMER. AS I WAS DECLARING AN EMER; SHE CLARIFIED THAT ALL SHE WANTED WAS THE TWR TO KNOW THEY MAY HAVE TO ROLL THE TRUCKS IF THE ISSUE WASN'T RESOLVED. I INFORMED THE TWR AND APCH OF OUR NEW INTENTIONS. AFTER RUNNING THE CHKLISTS WHICH HAD US CONTACT MAINT CTL; WE THEN CYCLED THE GEAR AS INSTRUCTED BY MAINT CTL. WE THEN HAD ALL 3 GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED WITH A NORMAL LNDG. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 808929: FUEL WHEN WE LEFT WAS 4400 LBS. NORMALLY IN DOING THIS FLT IN THE PAST IT IS 5400 LBS. DUE TO UNFORECASTED WX DOWN TO MINIMUMS AND A MALFUNCTION UPON LNDG; WE WERE AT AROUND 1400 LBS. IF THE WX WOULD HAVE CONTINUED GOING DOWN OR IF IT TOOK LONGER WITH A VIP WHO WAS RUNNING LATE; WE WOULD HAVE BEEN RUNNING VERY SHORT ON FUEL IN TRYING TO GET TO AN ALTERNATE. THE PREVIOUS DAY IN THE MAINT LOGBOOK AND DAYS PRIOR; THERE WERE WRITE-UPS THAT THE NOSE GEAR/NOSEWHEEL STEERING WAS MAKING NOISE AND VIBRATING AND THE DAY BEFORE THEY CHANGED THE FRONT TIRES THINKING THAT WAS THE PROB. APCH WAS TOLD WE WERE IN OUR RESERVE FUEL AND IF WE COULD BE PUT UP THE LIST A LITTLE FARTHER TO GET IN SOONER. THEY THEN LET US BE #2. THIS WAS SAID BECAUSE BEING #6 AND IF THE WX WOULD HAVE GONE DOWN MORE PLUS FLYING TO AN ALTERNATE WITH THE GEAR DOWN AGAIN WOULD HAVE PUT US PRETTY LOW ON THE FUEL AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN REALLY TIGHT.