Narrative:

When the servicing was complete, boarding was commenced and I went outside and did a preflight inspection of the aircraft. At that time the aircraft was clear of service vehicles and the aircraft was secure. I then reboarded the aircraft with the last of the passenger. First officer then read, and I responded to, the before start checklist down to the line. The agent then boarded the aircraft, confirmed my fuel and passenger count, and then left wishing me a good flight. The agent closed the forward cabin door and pulled the jetway an unusually long distance back from the aircraft. I then signalled to the ground crewman standing in front of the aircraft querying if he had a headset and he shook his head negatively. I opened my cockpit window and yelled, asking him if he was going to push me back or if I was going to power back. He said neither, that I was to start and taxi out of the gate in a right turn. He then indicated to me that I was cleared to start. The senior F/a, who had been working in the rear cabin, came forward and said all was secure and everyone was seated. He then closed and locked my cockpit door as per procedure. The ground crewman remained in clear view watching the aircraft and waiting for me to start the engines. The before start checklist was completed with no door lights observed on annunciator. I then started the right engine first and with a normal start I proceeded to start the left engine. All engine indications were normal with good N1 and N2 rotation. At approximately 22% N2 I placed the fuel control lever on and waited for a light off of the engine. There was no immediate indication of fuel flow or egt and was about to abort the start when I heard a pop sound and the engine started to accelerate normally. At this time 2 other ground crewmen ran up to the front of the aircraft and signalled me to shut down the engine. The N2 reached 27-28% and the egt was approximately 220 degrees C. I immediately shut the engine down and motored it for 20 seconds to eliminate any residual fuel. It was at this time the first officer and I noticed the aft galley door light on. I opened my window and asked what had happened and was informed that the caterers had pulled up to the aft galley service door and had installed an engine cover over the engine. He then had opened the door and was preparing to service the aft galley. The F/a said the caterer then rushed into the aircraft as soon as he heard the engine being started. On start the cover was blown free of the inlet and onto the ground. There were no injuries and no damage to the aircraft or ground equipment. A log book entry was made and maintenance inspected the engine and found all normal. I contacted system control center and maintenance control and informed them in detail as to what had taken place. In conclusion, all normal procedures had been followed. The flight crew felt they had been given clear approval to start the engines. The F/a's felt and expressed that the cabin was fully secure. The late servicing of the aft galley which all thought to be complete should have been noticed by the ground crewman and relayed to the cockpit, but was not. The ground to cockpit communication should have been provided through a headset for positive communication but was not available. The ground crewmen were contracted from air carrier X and might have had different procedures. There were no injuries or damage to equipment, or loss of revenue. In my opinion if a headset had been available this potentially dangerous situation would not have taken place. Supplemental information from acn 99873: it was at this time that I first noticed the aft service door light on. I do not believe this light was on when the start procedure was commenced. (This light is on the annunciator panel directly overhead the first officer seat and will not illuminate the master caution light.)

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FOOD SERVICE PUT IN ENGINE PLUG DURING START PROC. NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE.

Narrative: WHEN THE SERVICING WAS COMPLETE, BOARDING WAS COMMENCED AND I WENT OUTSIDE AND DID A PREFLT INSPECTION OF THE ACFT. AT THAT TIME THE ACFT WAS CLR OF SVC VEHICLES AND THE ACFT WAS SECURE. I THEN REBOARDED THE ACFT WITH THE LAST OF THE PAX. F/O THEN READ, AND I RESPONDED TO, THE BEFORE START CHKLIST DOWN TO THE LINE. THE AGENT THEN BOARDED THE ACFT, CONFIRMED MY FUEL AND PAX COUNT, AND THEN LEFT WISHING ME A GOOD FLT. THE AGENT CLOSED THE FORWARD CABIN DOOR AND PULLED THE JETWAY AN UNUSUALLY LONG DISTANCE BACK FROM THE ACFT. I THEN SIGNALLED TO THE GND CREWMAN STANDING IN FRONT OF THE ACFT QUERYING IF HE HAD A HEADSET AND HE SHOOK HIS HEAD NEGATIVELY. I OPENED MY COCKPIT WINDOW AND YELLED, ASKING HIM IF HE WAS GOING TO PUSH ME BACK OR IF I WAS GOING TO PWR BACK. HE SAID NEITHER, THAT I WAS TO START AND TAXI OUT OF THE GATE IN A RIGHT TURN. HE THEN INDICATED TO ME THAT I WAS CLRED TO START. THE SENIOR F/A, WHO HAD BEEN WORKING IN THE REAR CABIN, CAME FORWARD AND SAID ALL WAS SECURE AND EVERYONE WAS SEATED. HE THEN CLOSED AND LOCKED MY COCKPIT DOOR AS PER PROC. THE GND CREWMAN REMAINED IN CLEAR VIEW WATCHING THE ACFT AND WAITING FOR ME TO START THE ENGS. THE BEFORE START CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED WITH NO DOOR LIGHTS OBSERVED ON ANNUNCIATOR. I THEN STARTED THE RIGHT ENG FIRST AND WITH A NORMAL START I PROCEEDED TO START THE LEFT ENG. ALL ENG INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL WITH GOOD N1 AND N2 ROTATION. AT APPROX 22% N2 I PLACED THE FUEL CONTROL LEVER ON AND WAITED FOR A LIGHT OFF OF THE ENG. THERE WAS NO IMMEDIATE INDICATION OF FUEL FLOW OR EGT AND WAS ABOUT TO ABORT THE START WHEN I HEARD A POP SOUND AND THE ENG STARTED TO ACCELERATE NORMALLY. AT THIS TIME 2 OTHER GND CREWMEN RAN UP TO THE FRONT OF THE ACFT AND SIGNALLED ME TO SHUT DOWN THE ENG. THE N2 REACHED 27-28% AND THE EGT WAS APPROX 220 DEGS C. I IMMEDIATELY SHUT THE ENG DOWN AND MOTORED IT FOR 20 SECS TO ELIMINATE ANY RESIDUAL FUEL. IT WAS AT THIS TIME THE F/O AND I NOTICED THE AFT GALLEY DOOR LIGHT ON. I OPENED MY WINDOW AND ASKED WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE CATERERS HAD PULLED UP TO THE AFT GALLEY SVC DOOR AND HAD INSTALLED AN ENG COVER OVER THE ENG. HE THEN HAD OPENED THE DOOR AND WAS PREPARING TO SVC THE AFT GALLEY. THE F/A SAID THE CATERER THEN RUSHED INTO THE ACFT AS SOON AS HE HEARD THE ENG BEING STARTED. ON START THE COVER WAS BLOWN FREE OF THE INLET AND ONTO THE GND. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT OR GND EQUIP. A LOG BOOK ENTRY WAS MADE AND MAINT INSPECTED THE ENG AND FOUND ALL NORMAL. I CONTACTED SYS CTL CENTER AND MAINT CTL AND INFORMED THEM IN DETAIL AS TO WHAT HAD TAKEN PLACE. IN CONCLUSION, ALL NORMAL PROCS HAD BEEN FOLLOWED. THE FLT CREW FELT THEY HAD BEEN GIVEN CLEAR APPROVAL TO START THE ENGS. THE F/A'S FELT AND EXPRESSED THAT THE CABIN WAS FULLY SECURE. THE LATE SERVICING OF THE AFT GALLEY WHICH ALL THOUGHT TO BE COMPLETE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTICED BY THE GND CREWMAN AND RELAYED TO THE COCKPIT, BUT WAS NOT. THE GND TO COCKPIT COM SHOULD HAVE BEEN PROVIDED THROUGH A HEADSET FOR POSITIVE COM BUT WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE GND CREWMEN WERE CONTRACTED FROM ACR X AND MIGHT HAVE HAD DIFFERENT PROCS. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE TO EQUIP, OR LOSS OF REVENUE. IN MY OPINION IF A HEADSET HAD BEEN AVAILABLE THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION WOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN PLACE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 99873: IT WAS AT THIS TIME THAT I FIRST NOTICED THE AFT SVC DOOR LIGHT ON. I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS LIGHT WAS ON WHEN THE START PROC WAS COMMENCED. (THIS LIGHT IS ON THE ANNUNCIATOR PANEL DIRECTLY OVERHEAD THE F/O SEAT AND WILL NOT ILLUMINATE THE MASTER CAUTION LIGHT.)

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.