Narrative:

Returning from denver, we made an extra stop in north platte before continuing on to kearney and spencer. We had been delayed by WX earlier in the night and were running a little late even before we made the extra stop in north platte. I called dispatch on the ground and when I returned to the aircraft the lineman was still fueling the left wing. It was late so I hurried to get back into the air. When I was nearly done with the paperwork I glanced over to see if the fueling was complete and it appeared that he was just finishing up. When I was done with the manifest I looked up and I could see the agent in front and to the left of the nose of the aircraft and I signaled her for permission to start the right engine and I did not turn and look for myself to insure that the lineman was done. I could see the agent turn and look at the wing and she cleared me for engine start on the right side. After the engine was running I picked up the station's copy of the manifest and when I turned to hand it out the window, I noticed that the fueler still had a ladder at the left wingtip and the grounding cord was still attached to the aircraft. The hose wasn't reeled up but he wasn't still fueling at that time so I didn't shut the engine back down. The lineman picked up his ladder and reeled up the hose and ground cord and drove away. The agent said on the radio later that even though she saw the lineman still fueling she assumed that I had seen him and knew what I was doing so she cleared me to start the other engine. Because it was late at night and we were running late, I made the mistake of rushing when all I would have had to do would have been to turn my head a little farther to verify for myself that the lineman was gone before starting an engine.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF A BEECH 1900 AIRLINER (BE02) STARTED THE R ENG WHEN A FUEL FILLER WAS ON THE L WING PUTTING IN FUEL. CAPT CHKED WITH THE AGENT STANDING IN FRONT OF THE ACFT PRIOR TO STARTING.

Narrative: RETURNING FROM DENVER, WE MADE AN EXTRA STOP IN NORTH PLATTE BEFORE CONTINUING ON TO KEARNEY AND SPENCER. WE HAD BEEN DELAYED BY WX EARLIER IN THE NIGHT AND WERE RUNNING A LITTLE LATE EVEN BEFORE WE MADE THE EXTRA STOP IN NORTH PLATTE. I CALLED DISPATCH ON THE GND AND WHEN I RETURNED TO THE ACFT THE LINEMAN WAS STILL FUELING THE L WING. IT WAS LATE SO I HURRIED TO GET BACK INTO THE AIR. WHEN I WAS NEARLY DONE WITH THE PAPERWORK I GLANCED OVER TO SEE IF THE FUELING WAS COMPLETE AND IT APPEARED THAT HE WAS JUST FINISHING UP. WHEN I WAS DONE WITH THE MANIFEST I LOOKED UP AND I COULD SEE THE AGENT IN FRONT AND TO THE L OF THE NOSE OF THE ACFT AND I SIGNALED HER FOR PERMISSION TO START THE R ENG AND I DID NOT TURN AND LOOK FOR MYSELF TO INSURE THAT THE LINEMAN WAS DONE. I COULD SEE THE AGENT TURN AND LOOK AT THE WING AND SHE CLRED ME FOR ENG START ON THE R SIDE. AFTER THE ENG WAS RUNNING I PICKED UP THE STATION'S COPY OF THE MANIFEST AND WHEN I TURNED TO HAND IT OUT THE WINDOW, I NOTICED THAT THE FUELER STILL HAD A LADDER AT THE L WINGTIP AND THE GNDING CORD WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE ACFT. THE HOSE WASN'T REELED UP BUT HE WASN'T STILL FUELING AT THAT TIME SO I DIDN'T SHUT THE ENG BACK DOWN. THE LINEMAN PICKED UP HIS LADDER AND REELED UP THE HOSE AND GND CORD AND DROVE AWAY. THE AGENT SAID ON THE RADIO LATER THAT EVEN THOUGH SHE SAW THE LINEMAN STILL FUELING SHE ASSUMED THAT I HAD SEEN HIM AND KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING SO SHE CLRED ME TO START THE OTHER ENG. BECAUSE IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT AND WE WERE RUNNING LATE, I MADE THE MISTAKE OF RUSHING WHEN ALL I WOULD HAVE HAD TO DO WOULD HAVE BEEN TO TURN MY HEAD A LITTLE FARTHER TO VERIFY FOR MYSELF THAT THE LINEMAN WAS GONE BEFORE STARTING AN ENG.

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.