Narrative:

After taking my seat in the cockpit, following my passenger briefing, the engines were started. I was bending down to set up some tour audio tapes and to write down the start temperatures on the engines, when I realized the aircraft was moving. I looked up to see why and where we were taxiing since we had not yet turned on the radios or intercom nor completed the after start checklist. When I looked up I quickly realized the captain did not mean for us to taxi. We were heading straight across the ramp toward a company airplane parked with its nose toward us. I could see out of the corner of my eye the captain was trying to turn our airplane with the tiller bar and then he reached for the main circuit breaker panel to attempt to reset the hydraulic circuit breaker. I tried to stop the plane by applying my brakes full force, but it had no effect. The captain then pulled the power levers to full reverse and stopped the forward movement and he shut down both engines. Probable cause: it has been the practice of most first officer's to pull the hydraulic circuit breaker while preflting the rear of the plane, and most capts do the same so they can pump down the hydraulic system to check the pressure on the accumulators. If the hydraulic circuit breaker was not reset there would be no brakes or nosewheel steering. This was probably the case. Contributing to this is that my company does the before start check single pilot, the captain does this alone, and hydraulic pressurization should be noted there. Also a contributing factor could have been fatigue. We had both gotten up at XA30 am to get ready for work and have been working typically 10 hours per day, 5 days per week. Corrective actions: pilots should not pull the hydraulic circuit breaker or any circuit breaker to use it as an on/off switch. All checklists should be done as challenge/response between the crew.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOSS OF ACFT CTL IN RAMP OP AS SMT STARTS TO MOVE AFTER ENGS ARE STARTED. NO HYD PRESSURE.

Narrative: AFTER TAKING MY SEAT IN THE COCKPIT, FOLLOWING MY PAX BRIEFING, THE ENGS WERE STARTED. I WAS BENDING DOWN TO SET UP SOME TOUR AUDIO TAPES AND TO WRITE DOWN THE START TEMPS ON THE ENGS, WHEN I REALIZED THE ACFT WAS MOVING. I LOOKED UP TO SEE WHY AND WHERE WE WERE TAXIING SINCE WE HAD NOT YET TURNED ON THE RADIOS OR INTERCOM NOR COMPLETED THE AFTER START CHKLIST. WHEN I LOOKED UP I QUICKLY REALIZED THE CAPT DID NOT MEAN FOR US TO TAXI. WE WERE HDG STRAIGHT ACROSS THE RAMP TOWARD A COMPANY AIRPLANE PARKED WITH ITS NOSE TOWARD US. I COULD SEE OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE THE CAPT WAS TRYING TO TURN OUR AIRPLANE WITH THE TILLER BAR AND THEN HE REACHED FOR THE MAIN CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL TO ATTEMPT TO RESET THE HYD CIRCUIT BREAKER. I TRIED TO STOP THE PLANE BY APPLYING MY BRAKES FULL FORCE, BUT IT HAD NO EFFECT. THE CAPT THEN PULLED THE PWR LEVERS TO FULL REVERSE AND STOPPED THE FORWARD MOVEMENT AND HE SHUT DOWN BOTH ENGS. PROBABLE CAUSE: IT HAS BEEN THE PRACTICE OF MOST FO'S TO PULL THE HYD CIRCUIT BREAKER WHILE PREFLTING THE REAR OF THE PLANE, AND MOST CAPTS DO THE SAME SO THEY CAN PUMP DOWN THE HYD SYS TO CHK THE PRESSURE ON THE ACCUMULATORS. IF THE HYD CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS NOT RESET THERE WOULD BE NO BRAKES OR NOSEWHEEL STEERING. THIS WAS PROBABLY THE CASE. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS IS THAT MY COMPANY DOES THE BEFORE START CHK SINGLE PLT, THE CAPT DOES THIS ALONE, AND HYD PRESSURIZATION SHOULD BE NOTED THERE. ALSO A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR COULD HAVE BEEN FATIGUE. WE HAD BOTH GOTTEN UP AT XA30 AM TO GET READY FOR WORK AND HAVE BEEN WORKING TYPICALLY 10 HRS PER DAY, 5 DAYS PER WK. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: PLTS SHOULD NOT PULL THE HYD CIRCUIT BREAKER OR ANY CIRCUIT BREAKER TO USE IT AS AN ON/OFF SWITCH. ALL CHKLISTS SHOULD BE DONE AS CHALLENGE/RESPONSE BTWN THE CREW.

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.