Narrative:

Our airline operates a mix of medium large transport aircraft. The cockpits are not standardized. Lately, upon arriving at aircraft for first flight of the day, we have found the anti-skid switches turned off. They are normally left on. Apparently, whenever maintenance personnel tow an aircraft or taxi an aircraft, they use their own checklist which requires anti-skid to be turned off (why I have no idea). However, nowhere on their checklists does it require them to turn the anti-skid switches back on. Nowhere on any of our normal cockpit checklists does anti-skid appear. In the 'expanded' checklist section of the flight manual it states anti-skid should be checked 'on' during receiving aircraft preflight. Further , pushing recall on the glare shield does not illuminate any warning if the anti-skid switches are off. We brought this matter to the attention of our assistant chief pilot who felt it was no big deal and we should notice if the switches are off. Well I'm telling you that early in the morning, with bright sun shining in the cockpit, the warning light master switch left on dim from the night before, being still tired from minimum crew rest, in cockpits where the anti-skid switches aren't always in the same localizer and some are capped and some are not, it's very easy to miss anti-skid switches which are turned off. As we told the assistant chief pilot, it's just a matter of time before someone goes of the end of the runway at dca and into the potomac in an abort situation, all because anti-skid was turned off by maintenance the night before and no checklist reminded the cockpit crew to turn it back on.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MAINTENANCE PERSONS LEAVE ANTI SKID SWITCHES OFF AFTER DOING MAINTENANCE. POTENTIAL FOR MISSING THE SWITCHES OFF BECAUSE NO WARNING LIGHTS OR DIM WARNING LIGHTS. SWITCHES NOT ON PRESTART CHECKLIST.

Narrative: OUR AIRLINE OPERATES A MIX OF MLG ACFT. THE COCKPITS ARE NOT STANDARDIZED. LATELY, UPON ARRIVING AT ACFT FOR FIRST FLT OF THE DAY, WE HAVE FOUND THE ANTI-SKID SWITCHES TURNED OFF. THEY ARE NORMALLY LEFT ON. APPARENTLY, WHENEVER MAINT PERSONNEL TOW AN ACFT OR TAXI AN ACFT, THEY USE THEIR OWN CHKLIST WHICH REQUIRES ANTI-SKID TO BE TURNED OFF (WHY I HAVE NO IDEA). HOWEVER, NOWHERE ON THEIR CHKLISTS DOES IT REQUIRE THEM TO TURN THE ANTI-SKID SWITCHES BACK ON. NOWHERE ON ANY OF OUR NORMAL COCKPIT CHKLISTS DOES ANTI-SKID APPEAR. IN THE 'EXPANDED' CHKLIST SECTION OF THE FLT MANUAL IT STATES ANTI-SKID SHOULD BE CHKED 'ON' DURING RECEIVING ACFT PREFLT. FURTHER , PUSHING RECALL ON THE GLARE SHIELD DOES NOT ILLUMINATE ANY WARNING IF THE ANTI-SKID SWITCHES ARE OFF. WE BROUGHT THIS MATTER TO THE ATTN OF OUR ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT WHO FELT IT WAS NO BIG DEAL AND WE SHOULD NOTICE IF THE SWITCHES ARE OFF. WELL I'M TELLING YOU THAT EARLY IN THE MORNING, WITH BRIGHT SUN SHINING IN THE COCKPIT, THE WARNING LIGHT MASTER SWITCH LEFT ON DIM FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE, BEING STILL TIRED FROM MINIMUM CREW REST, IN COCKPITS WHERE THE ANTI-SKID SWITCHES AREN'T ALWAYS IN THE SAME LOC AND SOME ARE CAPPED AND SOME ARE NOT, IT'S VERY EASY TO MISS ANTI-SKID SWITCHES WHICH ARE TURNED OFF. AS WE TOLD THE ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMEONE GOES OF THE END OF THE RWY AT DCA AND INTO THE POTOMAC IN AN ABORT SITUATION, ALL BECAUSE ANTI-SKID WAS TURNED OFF BY MAINT THE NIGHT BEFORE AND NO CHKLIST REMINDED THE COCKPIT CREW TO TURN IT BACK ON.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.