CL60 pushback crew left an access door open.

Attributes
ACN	441703
Time
Date	199906
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : cyyz.airport
State Reference	ON
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Challenger Jet Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : pushback
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 240 flight time total : 8500 flight time type : 1250
ASRS Report	441703
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : multi engine pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far non adherence : company policies
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other flight crewb other other : 4
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	FAA Flight Crew Human Performance Aircraft
Primary Problem	Company

Narrative:

We were pushed back from gate. Ground crew is somewhat new to aircraft type and had trouble reconnecting nosewheel scissors link after pushback. Ground crew opened nosewheel doors to facilitate pin removal and then cleared us to taxi. We taxied out and departed. Passing 10000 ft, the first officer and I heard a squealing noise. We could not determine its exact location, but it sounded like an avionics fan running loudly. En route, we contacted our maintenance facility and told them we would have them check our avionics fans upon arrival. We landed at our destination of cvg and parked at the gate. One of our ramp agents boarded us and informed us that our ground service electrical panel had apparently been left open by preceding ground crew in yyz. Maintenance arrived and checked our fans. The fans checked good as we now suspected they would since the noise silenced on landing. Maintenance was informed of the service door being left open by previous ramp crew. This door is opened first to gain access to the switch that opens nose doors. No damage was found. However, this latch/panel is somewhat in line with engine #2 and could have caused severe damage had it separated in-flight. We could have avoided all of this if we would have radio communications with pushback crew. The FAA and our company have us operate with hand signals only. We have no way of telling them to confirm door closure during non routine pushback. We also could help facilitate nosewheel scissors reconnect as this crew seem unfamiliar. Our stations usually do not open this service panel and nose doors on most pushbacks. When they do, our options are limited to deal with it. I feel that radio pushback is the only way to go. These incidents could be drastically reduced. We were fortunate that the door is structurally sound and didn't depart the airframe with catastrophic results. The sound is so much like a facility avionics fan that we, the flight crew, thought this to be the likely culprit. Upon arrival, it ends up being something we could have corrected during/after pushback had we been able to communicate with ground crew and ask them to verify that they did close the service door.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CL60 PUSHBACK CREW LEFT AN ACCESS DOOR OPEN.

Narrative: WE WERE PUSHED BACK FROM GATE. GND CREW IS SOMEWHAT NEW TO ACFT TYPE AND HAD TROUBLE RECONNECTING NOSEWHEEL SCISSORS LINK AFTER PUSHBACK. GND CREW OPENED NOSEWHEEL DOORS TO FACILITATE PIN REMOVAL AND THEN CLRED US TO TAXI. WE TAXIED OUT AND DEPARTED. PASSING 10000 FT, THE FO AND I HEARD A SQUEALING NOISE. WE COULD NOT DETERMINE ITS EXACT LOCATION, BUT IT SOUNDED LIKE AN AVIONICS FAN RUNNING LOUDLY. ENRTE, WE CONTACTED OUR MAINT FACILITY AND TOLD THEM WE WOULD HAVE THEM CHK OUR AVIONICS FANS UPON ARR. WE LANDED AT OUR DEST OF CVG AND PARKED AT THE GATE. ONE OF OUR RAMP AGENTS BOARDED US AND INFORMED US THAT OUR GND SVC ELECTRICAL PANEL HAD APPARENTLY BEEN LEFT OPEN BY PRECEDING GND CREW IN YYZ. MAINT ARRIVED AND CHKED OUR FANS. THE FANS CHKED GOOD AS WE NOW SUSPECTED THEY WOULD SINCE THE NOISE SILENCED ON LNDG. MAINT WAS INFORMED OF THE SVC DOOR BEING LEFT OPEN BY PREVIOUS RAMP CREW. THIS DOOR IS OPENED FIRST TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE SWITCH THAT OPENS NOSE DOORS. NO DAMAGE WAS FOUND. HOWEVER, THIS LATCH/PANEL IS SOMEWHAT IN LINE WITH ENG #2 AND COULD HAVE CAUSED SEVERE DAMAGE HAD IT SEPARATED INFLT. WE COULD HAVE AVOIDED ALL OF THIS IF WE WOULD HAVE RADIO COMS WITH PUSHBACK CREW. THE FAA AND OUR COMPANY HAVE US OPERATE WITH HAND SIGNALS ONLY. WE HAVE NO WAY OF TELLING THEM TO CONFIRM DOOR CLOSURE DURING NON ROUTINE PUSHBACK. WE ALSO COULD HELP FACILITATE NOSEWHEEL SCISSORS RECONNECT AS THIS CREW SEEM UNFAMILIAR. OUR STATIONS USUALLY DO NOT OPEN THIS SVC PANEL AND NOSE DOORS ON MOST PUSHBACKS. WHEN THEY DO, OUR OPTIONS ARE LIMITED TO DEAL WITH IT. I FEEL THAT RADIO PUSHBACK IS THE ONLY WAY TO GO. THESE INCIDENTS COULD BE DRASTICALLY REDUCED. WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT THE DOOR IS STRUCTURALLY SOUND AND DIDN'T DEPART THE AIRFRAME WITH CATASTROPHIC RESULTS. THE SOUND IS SO MUCH LIKE A FACILITY AVIONICS FAN THAT WE, THE FLC, THOUGHT THIS TO BE THE LIKELY CULPRIT. UPON ARR, IT ENDS UP BEING SOMETHING WE COULD HAVE CORRECTED DURING/AFTER PUSHBACK HAD WE BEEN ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH GND CREW AND ASK THEM TO VERIFY THAT THEY DID CLOSE THE SVC DOOR.

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.