Date: 201712
Local time of day: 0001-0600
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Flight conditions: VMC
Weather elements / visibility: light winds; clear skys
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Dash 8-300
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Initial Approach
Airspace: Class E ZZZ
ATC / advisory: TRACON ZZZ
Aircraft component: Gear Extend/Retract Mechanism
Component problem: Failed
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Captain; Pilot Not Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human factors: Situational Awareness
Second reporter function: Pilot Flying; First Officer
Anomaly: Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Contributing factors: Aircraft
Primary problem: Aircraft

Narrative: We were descending on the visual to RWY 34 and the First Officer was the Pilot flying. After slowing down to an appropriate speed; she called for the landing gear. I selected the landing gear down and we got three red lights and nothing else. No sounds of gear extension or even doors opening. I recycled the landing gear lever; and we got the same results. We then broke off the approach and requested vectors while we could address the problem. ATC gave us a climb and vectors around the area. I pulled out the Abnormal Checklist and started working on the problem; while my First Officer flew the airplane. It became apparent that we were going to have to do an alternate gear extension. Because of this; we switched roles and I became the pilot flying and my First Officer became the pilot monitoring. After checking our fuel to ensure that it wasn't an issue; I requested that she call the company to notify them of the situation and to also see if they had some insight on the situation. Perhaps there was something simple that I had overlooked that Maintenance might know about. After talking to our dispatcher; who wasn't the least bit interested; we connected to maintenance control who advised us that they could give us any advise until we had run the checklist. So we ran the abnormal gear extension checklist. The main gears came down beautifully; but the nose gear only came off the locks. We could hear it swinging in the wind. We completed the checklist and continued on to the appropriate checklist for the landing gear not extending. This lead us to call Maintenance control again. Control had us try pulling the nose gear extension pull handle again and again until the nose gear extended. After using a bit more muscle; the nose gear extended and indicated down and locked. We then reran the last part of the alternate gear extension check list and prepared to land. We notified the flight attendant and passengers of our situation as things progressed.


Second narrative: [Report narrative contained no additional information.]


Synopsis: A Bombardier Dash 8 Flight Crew reported that after selecting landing gear down; they got three red lights indicating the landing gear did not extend.