B747-400
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 229; Flight Crew Total 21350; Flight Crew Type 1800
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Flight Crew Landed As Precaution; Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport
Aircraft
Normal rotation and takeoff; after retracting the gear; we noticed we had a left main body gear disagreement with an 'extended gear' and a barber pole indication for the left main body gear. We accomplished the procedure for Gear Disagree; but were unable to resolve the issue. We contacted ATC; leveled off at 10;000 FT; preceded off the coast 20-25 miles and proceeded to jettison fuel in accordance with the procedure in the irregular procedure chapter. We jettisoned approximately 130;000 LBS of fuel to reduce our weight to get within normal landing weight requirements. After jettison was complete; we noticed we had a fuel imbalance of over 4;500 LBS between tank one and tank four (four being the higher of the two). We also noticed an upper EICAS message indicating that both of our fuel jettison nozzles were still indicating open. The fuel schematic diagram showed normal (only green flow lines; no magenta flow lines). We proceeded to get tank four and tank one fuel balance within limits and also verified that both fuel jettison nozzle valve switches were in the closed position. We accomplished a normal landing and normal taxi in. We notified Maintenance; both verbal and via ACARS; of the fuel imbalance indication and of the fuel jettison nozzle valve switches upper EICAS message.
A B747-400 left main body gear failed to retract after takeoff. Flight Manual procedures were applied without success and fuel was dumped down to maximum landing weight. Jettison valve anomalies occured that resulted in a fuel imbalance that was corrected before landing.