Date: 201701
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Flight conditions: IMC
Weather elements / visibility: Turbulence
Aircraft: B767-300 and 300 ER
Operator: Air Carrier
Flight plan: IFR
Flight phase: Initial Approach
Airspace: Class B ZZZ; Class E ZZZ
ATC / advisory: TRACON ZZZ
Aircraft component: Landing Gear Indicating System
Component problem: Malfunctioning
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Captain
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Anomaly: Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; General Maintenance Action
Contributing factors: Aircraft
Primary problem: Aircraft

Narrative: On final approach I was running the before landing checklist; when I got to gear down three green; I noticed the nose gear down and locked light was not illuminated. I called for a go-around with tower and we conducted a go-around.Tower asked if we could accept a 35nm downwind for runway 18R and we accepted. On about a 18NM downwind we decided to go into holding to analyze the situation and run the QRH. We were placed in holding northwest of the [field.] We tried to test the nose gear light switch and we were unsuccessful. Next in holding we swapped out one bulb of the tail skid indicator light with the nose gear indicator light. We extended gear normally and still did not get the green nose gear indicator light. We attempted a light test again and nose gear indicator still failed. The only difference with one new bulb in the nose gear down indicator light was that we could do a finger push on nose gear green light and this time and it did light up the one bulb swapped from tail skid indicator.We tried to turn on landing light to see if it was noticeable with gear lever down and it was not at this time. We brought the gear back up and ran the QRH gear disagree checklist. When we got to the Alternate gear extension we paused checklist and discussed or options and consequences of alternate gear extension. We decided to do an alternate gear extension and still did not get a green nose gear indicator light.At this time we were talking with maintenance and waiting [a long period of time] to contact us per request of maintenance; [maintenance] never did contact us. We told maintenance we had done the alternate gear extension and were declaring an emergency and requesting fire trucks to be present upon landing runway 18C. We asked maintenance to bring a tug out to pull us in from runway 18C. We were vectored out of holding to runway 18C as we ran the QRH alternate gear extension deferred items checklist. We asked tower control to look for our nose gear light upon breaking out of clouds at 700'. At 500' asked tower if they saw light on nose; response was what? We asked again twice more and at 100' the tower replied nose gear appears down. We touched down without speed brakes and auto brakes and used minimum braking to a stop on runway 18C with 9000 lb of gas. At this time we ran the after landing checklist and started the APU. Maintenance had us hand them the gear pins out First Officer's window. Maintenance pinned all our gear and we were towed back to gate. Discrepancy written up in [logbook] and discussed with Maintenance.Could not get nose gear down green indicator light via normal extension twice and then via alternate gear extension.I believe this gear indicator malfunction to be rare and unpreventable by flight crew.




Synopsis: B767-300 pilot reported a problem with the nose wheel indicator light. After troubleshooting with no solution; they decided to land with no significant events.