Flight Crew Last 90 Days 71; Flight Crew Total 10000; Flight Crew Type 500
Troubleshooting; Human-Machine Interface
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft
We were climbing out on initial heading and; when we attempted to raise the gear; it would not retract. We 'cleaned up' the aircraft; leveled at 5;000 MSL and followed the ECAM procedures for L/G retraction fault. We then calculated the increased fuel consumption to destination which required us to return to our departure airport. We explained our landing gear problem to departure control and got vectors back to an ILS. Enroute we reviewed ECAM procedures; informed Dispatch and Maintenance Control; completed all checklists and approach briefings and then completed an uneventful landing and taxi back to the ramp.
Once we were on the ground; there was some question from Maintenance as to why we did not switch to the opposite gear system. I explained that this procedure was in another checklist that we were not alerted to by ECAM. We ran the procedure that was presented by the aircraft. The 'L/G Lever Interlock' procedure calls for switching the L/G Position Det System switch to opposite system. That will work if the gear is all aligned and centered for retraction. In our case; the system had determined there was a problem with gear positioning for retraction and gave us a different ECAM procedure.
An A300 flight crew elected to return to their departure airport for maintenance when the landing gear failed to retract after takeoff and the increased fuel burn to destination precluded continuing.