 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
Prior to taxi, lack of coordination between flight crew and ground tug driver, resulted in aircraft hitting tow bar and deflating nose tires.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 358030 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199701 |
| Day | Sun |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : mco |
| State Reference | FL |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Commercial Fixed Wing |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | Other Other |
| Flight Phase | ground : preflight ground other : taxi |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 190 flight time total : 20000 flight time type : 1300 |
| ASRS Report | 358030 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | other other : other pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 140 flight time total : 13000 flight time type : 300 |
| ASRS Report | 358507 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | conflict : ground critical other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
Flight pushed back from gate at mco using new ICAO procedures. During push, ground crew man cleared the flight to start engines, #2 engine was started, the brakes were set and ground crew advised 'tow bar disconnected, standing by to disconnect.' the cockpit reply was 'stand by -- until both engines are started.' after #1 engine was started, the checklist was completed and the first officer called for taxi clearance. Taxi clearance was received to runway 36R and taxi power was applied. A scraping noise was heard/felt and the brakes were applied, bringing the aircraft to a stop. The nose tires had run over the tow bar, deflating the right nose tire and cutting the left tire. After shutting the engines down, the aircraft was towed back to the gate. The aircraft was inspected with both nose tires being changed and no damage to the aircraft detected. The ground crew man was not told to 'disconnect' and the thumbs up signal had not been exchanged. Failure to receive a thumbs up prior to taxi caused the incident. Under our procedure prior to the new ICAO, the ground crew disconnected as soon as pushback was complete and I believe that the ground communication using 'disconnect' twice influenced my failure to realize that formal sendoff procedures were bypassed. Additionally, a single man pushback was utilized but not communicated to the flight station. This resulted in the tow bar being disconnected but still in the path of the aircraft since the headset man was also the tug driver.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: PRIOR TO TAXI, LACK OF COORD BTWN FLC AND GND TUG DRIVER, RESULTED IN ACFT HITTING TOW BAR AND DEFLATING NOSE TIRES.
Narrative: FLT PUSHED BACK FROM GATE AT MCO USING NEW ICAO PROCS. DURING PUSH, GND CREW MAN CLRED THE FLT TO START ENGS, #2 ENG WAS STARTED, THE BRAKES WERE SET AND GND CREW ADVISED 'TOW BAR DISCONNECTED, STANDING BY TO DISCONNECT.' THE COCKPIT REPLY WAS 'STAND BY -- UNTIL BOTH ENGS ARE STARTED.' AFTER #1 ENG WAS STARTED, THE CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED AND THE FO CALLED FOR TAXI CLRNC. TAXI CLRNC WAS RECEIVED TO RWY 36R AND TAXI PWR WAS APPLIED. A SCRAPING NOISE WAS HEARD/FELT AND THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, BRINGING THE ACFT TO A STOP. THE NOSE TIRES HAD RUN OVER THE TOW BAR, DEFLATING THE R NOSE TIRE AND CUTTING THE L TIRE. AFTER SHUTTING THE ENGS DOWN, THE ACFT WAS TOWED BACK TO THE GATE. THE ACFT WAS INSPECTED WITH BOTH NOSE TIRES BEING CHANGED AND NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT DETECTED. THE GND CREW MAN WAS NOT TOLD TO 'DISCONNECT' AND THE THUMBS UP SIGNAL HAD NOT BEEN EXCHANGED. FAILURE TO RECEIVE A THUMBS UP PRIOR TO TAXI CAUSED THE INCIDENT. UNDER OUR PROC PRIOR TO THE NEW ICAO, THE GND CREW DISCONNECTED AS SOON AS PUSHBACK WAS COMPLETE AND I BELIEVE THAT THE GND COM USING 'DISCONNECT' TWICE INFLUENCED MY FAILURE TO REALIZE THAT FORMAL SENDOFF PROCS WERE BYPASSED. ADDITIONALLY, A SINGLE MAN PUSHBACK WAS UTILIZED BUT NOT COMMUNICATED TO THE FLT STATION. THIS RESULTED IN THE TOW BAR BEING DISCONNECTED BUT STILL IN THE PATH OF THE ACFT SINCE THE HEADSET MAN WAS ALSO THE TUG DRIVER.
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.