Passengers loaded while engines were running.

Attributes
ACN	173220
Time
Date	199103
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : ykn
State Reference	SD
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air taxi
Make Model Name	Small Transport, Low Wing, 2 Recip Eng
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 60 flight time total : 10000 flight time type : 1000
ASRS Report	173220
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	observation : passenger
Qualification	other other : other
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : far
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

The battery switch on the aircraft was inadvertently left on over night. Ground power was used to start the aircraft at its location by a private hangar. Construction of a new taxiway in this area makes it impossible to load and unload passenger due to spring thaw and the soft base of the taxiway. The aircraft was then taxied to the main ramp area to board passenger. During that process, the pilot elected to leave the engines running since they would not restart due to the dead batteries. Passenger boarding was then accomplished west/O incidence. A number of circumstances, beginning with the dead batteries, the time taken to get them started, the soft taxiway, plus the pressure on the pilot to keep his customers satisfied because the flight was running late, prompted the pilot to board the passenger with the engines running because the engines would not restart and would cause further delay. Good judgement was compromised by the pilot by boarding passenger with the engines running. This chain of events would have been prevented had the pilot allowed more time prior to the flight to ensure the aircraft would start. Although passenger boarding was completed west/O incidence, more time allowance so as not to be pressurized at the last minute would have avoided a potentially dangerous situation.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PASSENGERS LOADED WHILE ENGINES WERE RUNNING.

Narrative: THE BATTERY SWITCH ON THE ACFT WAS INADVERTENTLY LEFT ON OVER NIGHT. GND PWR WAS USED TO START THE ACFT AT ITS LOCATION BY A PVT HANGAR. CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW TXWY IN THIS AREA MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO LOAD AND UNLOAD PAX DUE TO SPRING THAW AND THE SOFT BASE OF THE TXWY. THE ACFT WAS THEN TAXIED TO THE MAIN RAMP AREA TO BOARD PAX. DURING THAT PROCESS, THE PLT ELECTED TO LEAVE THE ENGS RUNNING SINCE THEY WOULD NOT RESTART DUE TO THE DEAD BATTERIES. PAX BOARDING WAS THEN ACCOMPLISHED W/O INCIDENCE. A NUMBER OF CIRCUMSTANCES, BEGINNING WITH THE DEAD BATTERIES, THE TIME TAKEN TO GET THEM STARTED, THE SOFT TXWY, PLUS THE PRESSURE ON THE PLT TO KEEP HIS CUSTOMERS SATISFIED BECAUSE THE FLT WAS RUNNING LATE, PROMPTED THE PLT TO BOARD THE PAX WITH THE ENGS RUNNING BECAUSE THE ENGS WOULD NOT RESTART AND WOULD CAUSE FURTHER DELAY. GOOD JUDGEMENT WAS COMPROMISED BY THE PLT BY BOARDING PAX WITH THE ENGS RUNNING. THIS CHAIN OF EVENTS WOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED HAD THE PLT ALLOWED MORE TIME PRIOR TO THE FLT TO ENSURE THE ACFT WOULD START. ALTHOUGH PAX BOARDING WAS COMPLETED W/O INCIDENCE, MORE TIME ALLOWANCE SO AS NOT TO BE PRESSURIZED AT THE LAST MINUTE WOULD HAVE AVOIDED A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

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.