Regional Jet 200 ER/LR (CRJ200)
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Workload; Troubleshooting; Training / Qualification
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; General Maintenance Action; General Declared Emergency
Aircraft
On takeoff; the First Officer called for gear up and I selected the gear handle to the up position. 6-10 seconds later; we received a Gear Disagree master warning with the other associated indications. We declared an emergency with Tower and switched over to Departure who gave us a level off altitude of 3;000 when we were already at 3;200 FT. We started to return to 3;000 when he cleared us up to 5;000. At 4;000; Departure told us to maintain 4;000 and the First Officer had to hit the ALT button; but captured the altitude. After running the QRH checklist; we received three green gear down indications and received vectors back towards the airport. I contacted Dispatch via ACARS; talked to the Flight Attendant and made a PA informing the passengers of our return. We made a normal approach and landing back at the airport. The aircraft's landing gear failed to fully retract resulting in the Gear Disagree warning and the resulting need to return to our departure airport. Also; we received several altitude assignments very close to the altitude we were already at.This is the second Gear Disagree failure I have had in less than a week. Both times I was asked by Maintenance if I cycled the gear at all before completing the QRH. I don't know if cycling the gear would have corrected the problem and while there is a step for cycling the gear if the Gear Disagree occurs with the handle in the down position; there is no such step in the QRH procedure for the Gear Disagree with the handle up. If cycling the gear could possibly correct the malfunction; then that step needs to be added to the QRH as our training clearly tells us to follow the QRH and not add our own procedures.
The threats experienced this afternoon were the combination of running an emergency procedure while being given instructions from ATC that required immediate action or immediate corrections.
A CRJ200's GEAR DISAGREE alerted after takeoff; so the Gear Disagree Checklist was completed; an emergency declared and the flight returned to the departure airport.