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B737 first officer reported that after setting up the cockpit prior to flight; someone came in the cockpit and undid the set-up configuration.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1576885 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201809 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Parked |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | First Officer |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Commercial Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Multiengine |
| Experience | Flight Crew Type 3681 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown |
Narrative:
[We] arrived at [the] gate. Ground crew did not immediately hook up ground power. We had ground time before [our next] flight so after configuring the aircraft; IRS's; ACARS; and FMC's; I went into the terminal to use the restroom. Upon my return; I found the APU shutdown; auto brake fail light illuminated; and brake hydraulic pressure indicating zero. Further investigation revealed the IRS's shut off; fuel pumps shut off; battery shut off; emergency lights shut off; and window heat shut off. A call to maintenance inquiring if they had been in the cockpit revealed the APU shutdown team had connected ground power and shut down the APU along with the other configuration changes.why was the IRS's turned off as part of an APU shutdown? Why were the fuel pumps turned off as part of an APU shutdown? Why was the battery switch turned off as part of an APU shutdown? Why was the emergency lights turned off as part of an APU shutdown? Why was the window heat turned off as part of an APU shutdown? None of these systems needed to be reconfigured to turn off the APU; nor would the flight crew expect them to be changed as part of the APU shutdown; especially when the aircraft was not terminated.the cockpit was clearly occupied and prepared for the next flight as evidenced by personal items; ipads in holders; and paperwork on the center console. The configuration changes were beyond what is required to shut down the APU. Without notice that anyone has made configuration changes; there is serious potential that we could depart with an undesirable configuration and a potential safety hazard. Additionally; with the battery switch and emergency lights turned off; if an emergency had occurred during boarding but before the flight crew returned and discovered the altered configuration; flight attendants would have no public address or emergency lights. I am familiar with the fom requirement to review aircraft configuration after maintenance work. However; without any maintenance work there is no reason to review the aircraft configuration.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: B737 First Officer reported that after setting up the cockpit prior to flight; someone came in the cockpit and undid the set-up configuration.
Narrative: [We] arrived at [the] gate. Ground crew did not immediately hook up ground power. We had ground time before [our next] flight so after configuring the aircraft; IRS's; ACARS; and FMC's; I went into the terminal to use the restroom. Upon my return; I found the APU shutdown; auto brake fail light illuminated; and brake hydraulic pressure indicating zero. Further investigation revealed the IRS's shut off; fuel pumps shut off; battery shut off; emergency lights shut off; and window heat shut off. A call to Maintenance inquiring if they had been in the cockpit revealed the APU shutdown team had connected ground power and shut down the APU along with the other configuration changes.Why was the IRS's turned off as part of an APU shutdown? Why were the fuel pumps turned off as part of an APU shutdown? Why was the battery switch turned off as part of an APU shutdown? Why was the emergency lights turned off as part of an APU shutdown? Why was the window heat turned off as part of an APU shutdown? None of these systems needed to be reconfigured to turn off the APU; nor would the flight crew expect them to be changed as part of the APU shutdown; especially when the aircraft was not terminated.The cockpit was clearly occupied and prepared for the next flight as evidenced by personal items; iPads in holders; and paperwork on the center console. The configuration changes were beyond what is required to shut down the APU. Without notice that anyone has made configuration changes; there is serious potential that we could depart with an undesirable configuration and a potential safety hazard. Additionally; with the battery switch and emergency lights turned off; if an emergency had occurred during boarding but before the flight crew returned and discovered the altered configuration; flight attendants would have no public address or emergency lights. I am familiar with the FOM requirement to review aircraft configuration after maintenance work. However; without any maintenance work there is no reason to review the aircraft configuration.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.