Narrative:

I was PIC of air carrier X. Springfield ramp is extremely congested at this hour. There were 5 aircraft parked within close proximity (50-80 ft) of each other. My passenger had boarded and the aircraft had been secured. However, an air carrier 'Y' light transport parked immediately to our right (his left wingtip was no more that 6 to 8 ft from ours, although his was a high wing, and ours low), was still boarding. The air carrier Y passenger were being directed in front of our aircraft, around our right wing, to board the left rear passenger door of the air carrier Y which was to the right and behind our air carrier X light transport. At XA23 local time, our air carrier X ramp agent, after verifying that no more passenger were wandering in front of our aircraft, cleared us with a visible and company approved hand signal to begin rotation of our right engine. This signal was confirmed by a second ramp agent and my first officer. Company standard practice requires that, during the start sequence, both the first officer and the captain monitor the engine instruments, with the first officer calling out engine start parameters! We started both engines normally, completed our after-start checklist, and followed our ramp agent's company-approved hand signal to exit the ramp. As we turned right to pass in front of the air carrier Y, the captain of that aircraft, clearly visible to my first officer, picked up his hand microphone and announced on sgf ground frequency, 'air carrier X, you better file a NASA report. I'm going to report you to the FAA.' my first officer replied, 'what are talking about?' he replied, 'a passenger walked within 5 ft of your right propeller. I'm going to report you to the FAA.' as stated, neither of our ramp agents, my first officer, or myself, saw anybody close to our propeller during or after our start sequence. However, air carrier Y personnel, in a later conversation with our ramp agents, admitted that they had sent out an unescorted straggler, after our right engine was running. This person walked unescorted to their aircraft, and apparently passed near our right wing. Quite apart from the fact that this person's allegation is totally misleading, I fail to understand how he could: 1) see precisely when I turned my right propeller (as it was already rotating due to the wind effect), and 2) see, from an angled line of sight more than 80 ft away that a person walked 'within 5 ft of my right propeller!' notwithstanding my comments, or his, this particular ramp is at certain times of the day extremely congested, and dangerous sits such as the one alleged here do arise, due primarily to the haphazard manner in which turboprop aircraft are positioned by all airline station personnel, each cramming for a spot as close as possible to the limited number of terminal entrance/exit doors. The situation can only be remedied by close coordination by the various airlines' station personnel in parking their aircraft, and supervising their passenger boarding procedures until the last person has been boarded! Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporting captain says that he has not heard from the FAA on this incident, so probably no report was filed. He also states that the ramp management of both carriers have gotten together at sgf to attempt to iron out this problem. He has not been back to sgf at a peak time to see if there have been substantive improvements. A pilot's union representative that knows the captain of air carrier Y stated to the reporter that captain Y is widely known for being 'strange.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR 'Y' ACCUSED ACR 'X' OF ALLOWING ONE OF ACR Y'S PAX TO COME CLOSE TO A RUNNING ENG ON ACR X.

Narrative: I WAS PIC OF ACR X. SPRINGFIELD RAMP IS EXTREMELY CONGESTED AT THIS HR. THERE WERE 5 ACFT PARKED WITHIN CLOSE PROX (50-80 FT) OF EACH OTHER. MY PAX HAD BOARDED AND THE ACFT HAD BEEN SECURED. HOWEVER, AN ACR 'Y' LTT PARKED IMMEDIATELY TO OUR R (HIS L WINGTIP WAS NO MORE THAT 6 TO 8 FT FROM OURS, ALTHOUGH HIS WAS A HIGH WING, AND OURS LOW), WAS STILL BOARDING. THE ACR Y PAX WERE BEING DIRECTED IN FRONT OF OUR ACFT, AROUND OUR R WING, TO BOARD THE L REAR PAX DOOR OF THE ACR Y WHICH WAS TO THE R AND BEHIND OUR ACR X LTT. AT XA23 LCL TIME, OUR ACR X RAMP AGENT, AFTER VERIFYING THAT NO MORE PAX WERE WANDERING IN FRONT OF OUR ACFT, CLRED US WITH A VISIBLE AND COMPANY APPROVED HAND SIGNAL TO BEGIN ROTATION OF OUR R ENG. THIS SIGNAL WAS CONFIRMED BY A SECOND RAMP AGENT AND MY FO. COMPANY STANDARD PRACTICE REQUIRES THAT, DURING THE START SEQUENCE, BOTH THE FO AND THE CAPT MONITOR THE ENG INSTS, WITH THE FO CALLING OUT ENG START PARAMETERS! WE STARTED BOTH ENGS NORMALLY, COMPLETED OUR AFTER-START CHKLIST, AND FOLLOWED OUR RAMP AGENT'S COMPANY-APPROVED HAND SIGNAL TO EXIT THE RAMP. AS WE TURNED R TO PASS IN FRONT OF THE ACR Y, THE CAPT OF THAT ACFT, CLRLY VISIBLE TO MY FO, PICKED UP HIS HAND MIKE AND ANNOUNCED ON SGF GND FREQ, 'ACR X, YOU BETTER FILE A NASA RPT. I'M GOING TO RPT YOU TO THE FAA.' MY FO REPLIED, 'WHAT ARE TALKING ABOUT?' HE REPLIED, 'A PAX WALKED WITHIN 5 FT OF YOUR R PROP. I'M GOING TO RPT YOU TO THE FAA.' AS STATED, NEITHER OF OUR RAMP AGENTS, MY FO, OR MYSELF, SAW ANYBODY CLOSE TO OUR PROP DURING OR AFTER OUR START SEQUENCE. HOWEVER, ACR Y PERSONNEL, IN A LATER CONVERSATION WITH OUR RAMP AGENTS, ADMITTED THAT THEY HAD SENT OUT AN UNESCORTED STRAGGLER, AFTER OUR R ENG WAS RUNNING. THIS PERSON WALKED UNESCORTED TO THEIR ACFT, AND APPARENTLY PASSED NEAR OUR R WING. QUITE APART FROM THE FACT THAT THIS PERSON'S ALLEGATION IS TOTALLY MISLEADING, I FAIL TO UNDERSTAND HOW HE COULD: 1) SEE PRECISELY WHEN I TURNED MY R PROP (AS IT WAS ALREADY ROTATING DUE TO THE WIND EFFECT), AND 2) SEE, FROM AN ANGLED LINE OF SIGHT MORE THAN 80 FT AWAY THAT A PERSON WALKED 'WITHIN 5 FT OF MY R PROP!' NOTWITHSTANDING MY COMMENTS, OR HIS, THIS PARTICULAR RAMP IS AT CERTAIN TIMES OF THE DAY EXTREMELY CONGESTED, AND DANGEROUS SITS SUCH AS THE ONE ALLEGED HERE DO ARISE, DUE PRIMARILY TO THE HAPHAZARD MANNER IN WHICH TURBOPROP ACFT ARE POSITIONED BY ALL AIRLINE STATION PERSONNEL, EACH CRAMMING FOR A SPOT AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO THE LIMITED NUMBER OF TERMINAL ENTRANCE/EXIT DOORS. THE SIT CAN ONLY BE REMEDIED BY CLOSE COORD BY THE VARIOUS AIRLINES' STATION PERSONNEL IN PARKING THEIR ACFT, AND SUPERVISING THEIR PAX BOARDING PROCS UNTIL THE LAST PERSON HAS BEEN BOARDED! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTING CAPT SAYS THAT HE HAS NOT HEARD FROM THE FAA ON THIS INCIDENT, SO PROBABLY NO RPT WAS FILED. HE ALSO STATES THAT THE RAMP MGMNT OF BOTH CARRIERS HAVE GOTTEN TOGETHER AT SGF TO ATTEMPT TO IRON OUT THIS PROB. HE HAS NOT BEEN BACK TO SGF AT A PEAK TIME TO SEE IF THERE HAVE BEEN SUBSTANTIVE IMPROVEMENTS. A PLT'S UNION REPRESENTATIVE THAT KNOWS THE CAPT OF ACR Y STATED TO THE RPTR THAT CAPT Y IS WIDELY KNOWN FOR BEING 'STRANGE.'

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.