Narrative:

We arrived at the aircraft 1 hour before departure. It was still dark upon our arrival. The aircraft was parked across the ramp from the FBO. We opened the plane, and loaded the crew baggage. The flight attendant took the rental car over to the FBO to check on the catering and ask if they were going to pull the plane up front. Since there was no ladder, or lineman around I jumped up on the wing to remove the engine covers and check out the inlets. At this point I went inside to pick up the flight plans and WX, and order the fuel. The lineman said they were going to pull the plane up front so the first officer left the gear pins in, and the nose steering disconnected. When I returned to the plane to give the first officer the flight plans for loading into the FMS, the APU was running and the first officer was running the before engine start checklist. I returned to the FBO to pay for the fuel and catering. This process took a while because they couldn't find the catering bill. At this point I was informed that they would not be able to move the plane up front, so I went back out to the plane to tell the first officer we would be departing from there. When I went back inside to sign for the fuel and catering, I asked the lineman to reconnect the nose steering. At this point the passenger were coming through the gate 25 mins early. When I arrived back at the aircraft, I could see that the nose steering was connected, and the gear pins were removed. The passenger were already onboard, so I climbed into the cockpit after closing the entrance door. Upon engine start we noticed some bumps in cabin pressure, but we had had some fluctuations in pressure the day before. We went through all the checklists, and took the runway. The takeoff was normal. About the time the gear came up we noticed problems with the pressurization, and we could hear a strange noise outside the plane. We both looked at each other and knew exactly what the problem was. In all the confusion back at the FBO, one of the covers for the pressurization had been left on. We kept the speed back and returned to the airport without incident. When I asked the first officer if he had performed a walk around he said he hadn't, because he was waiting until the plane was moved, and the nose steering was connected and the gear pins removed. He was in the process of removing the gear pins when the passenger showed up, and never got to the exterior preflight. This incident occurred for a number of reasons. First there was a high level of confusion about where the plane was going to depart. Secondly, the FBO was very busy, so everything was happening kind of slow as far as help from the FBO concerning fuel, catering, and paying the bill. The first officer's routine was thrown off by me removing the engine covers, and the FBO's failure to commit to a departure point. The final ingredient was the passenger early arrival. After discussing the incident with the first officer we came to the conclusion that the complete exterior preflight should be completed at the time of crew arrival at the plane, and if the plane is moved for any reason, the last 2 items checked before closing the door should be nose steering and gear pins.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CORPORATE FLC FAILED TO PERFORM A PREFLT INSPECTION. THEY THEN HAD TO RETURN LAND BECAUSE THEY HAD NOT REMOVED THE PRESSURIZATION COVERS.

Narrative: WE ARRIVED AT THE ACFT 1 HR BEFORE DEP. IT WAS STILL DARK UPON OUR ARR. THE ACFT WAS PARKED ACROSS THE RAMP FROM THE FBO. WE OPENED THE PLANE, AND LOADED THE CREW BAGGAGE. THE FLT ATTENDANT TOOK THE RENTAL CAR OVER TO THE FBO TO CHK ON THE CATERING AND ASK IF THEY WERE GOING TO PULL THE PLANE UP FRONT. SINCE THERE WAS NO LADDER, OR LINEMAN AROUND I JUMPED UP ON THE WING TO REMOVE THE ENG COVERS AND CHK OUT THE INLETS. AT THIS POINT I WENT INSIDE TO PICK UP THE FLT PLANS AND WX, AND ORDER THE FUEL. THE LINEMAN SAID THEY WERE GOING TO PULL THE PLANE UP FRONT SO THE FO LEFT THE GEAR PINS IN, AND THE NOSE STEERING DISCONNECTED. WHEN I RETURNED TO THE PLANE TO GIVE THE FO THE FLT PLANS FOR LOADING INTO THE FMS, THE APU WAS RUNNING AND THE FO WAS RUNNING THE BEFORE ENG START CHKLIST. I RETURNED TO THE FBO TO PAY FOR THE FUEL AND CATERING. THIS PROCESS TOOK A WHILE BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T FIND THE CATERING BILL. AT THIS POINT I WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MOVE THE PLANE UP FRONT, SO I WENT BACK OUT TO THE PLANE TO TELL THE FO WE WOULD BE DEPARTING FROM THERE. WHEN I WENT BACK INSIDE TO SIGN FOR THE FUEL AND CATERING, I ASKED THE LINEMAN TO RECONNECT THE NOSE STEERING. AT THIS POINT THE PAX WERE COMING THROUGH THE GATE 25 MINS EARLY. WHEN I ARRIVED BACK AT THE ACFT, I COULD SEE THAT THE NOSE STEERING WAS CONNECTED, AND THE GEAR PINS WERE REMOVED. THE PAX WERE ALREADY ONBOARD, SO I CLBED INTO THE COCKPIT AFTER CLOSING THE ENTRANCE DOOR. UPON ENG START WE NOTICED SOME BUMPS IN CABIN PRESSURE, BUT WE HAD HAD SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN PRESSURE THE DAY BEFORE. WE WENT THROUGH ALL THE CHKLISTS, AND TOOK THE RWY. THE TKOF WAS NORMAL. ABOUT THE TIME THE GEAR CAME UP WE NOTICED PROBS WITH THE PRESSURIZATION, AND WE COULD HEAR A STRANGE NOISE OUTSIDE THE PLANE. WE BOTH LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THE PROB WAS. IN ALL THE CONFUSION BACK AT THE FBO, ONE OF THE COVERS FOR THE PRESSURIZATION HAD BEEN LEFT ON. WE KEPT THE SPD BACK AND RETURNED TO THE ARPT WITHOUT INCIDENT. WHEN I ASKED THE FO IF HE HAD PERFORMED A WALK AROUND HE SAID HE HADN'T, BECAUSE HE WAS WAITING UNTIL THE PLANE WAS MOVED, AND THE NOSE STEERING WAS CONNECTED AND THE GEAR PINS REMOVED. HE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF REMOVING THE GEAR PINS WHEN THE PAX SHOWED UP, AND NEVER GOT TO THE EXTERIOR PREFLT. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. FIRST THERE WAS A HIGH LEVEL OF CONFUSION ABOUT WHERE THE PLANE WAS GOING TO DEPART. SECONDLY, THE FBO WAS VERY BUSY, SO EVERYTHING WAS HAPPENING KIND OF SLOW AS FAR AS HELP FROM THE FBO CONCERNING FUEL, CATERING, AND PAYING THE BILL. THE FO'S ROUTINE WAS THROWN OFF BY ME REMOVING THE ENG COVERS, AND THE FBO'S FAILURE TO COMMIT TO A DEP POINT. THE FINAL INGREDIENT WAS THE PAX EARLY ARR. AFTER DISCUSSING THE INCIDENT WITH THE FO WE CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE COMPLETE EXTERIOR PREFLT SHOULD BE COMPLETED AT THE TIME OF CREW ARR AT THE PLANE, AND IF THE PLANE IS MOVED FOR ANY REASON, THE LAST 2 ITEMS CHKED BEFORE CLOSING THE DOOR SHOULD BE NOSE STEERING AND GEAR PINS.

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.