Flight crew of a B737-800 pushback back without clearance.

Attributes
ACN	450373
Time
Date	199909
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : sea.airport
State Reference	WA
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737-800
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : pushback
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : flight engineer pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 140 flight time total : 18000 flight time type : 12000
ASRS Report	450373
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument pilot : multi engine
Events
Anomaly	incursion : taxiway non adherence : published procedure non adherence other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

We pushed back from gate xa at sea into a movement area without clearance due to a misinterp of our airport page. I'm not that familiar with sea airport and at departure time we checked our airport diagram pages for sea and it indicated that an advisory call for pushback was all that was required to ground control. At the time, ground control was quite busy and we couldn't get a word in, so we went ahead and pushed the aircraft figuring that we'd let ground know as soon as we could! Unfortunately, this particular gate pushes back into a movement area and sea ground wasn't thrilled that we did not call for pushback. I apologized and the rest of our taxi was uneventful. This could have been avoided if our airport diagram page indicated that there are certain 'gates' that require a clearance for pushback. All it states is that an advisory call to ground is the procedure. Other airports such as lax and cle indicate that a pushback advisory call to ground is procedure except gates 'such and such' which require a pushback clearance from ground control. From now on, I will just go ahead and call ground control for pushback clearance -- period!

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF A B737-800 PUSHBACK BACK WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: WE PUSHED BACK FROM GATE XA AT SEA INTO A MOVEMENT AREA WITHOUT CLRNC DUE TO A MISINTERP OF OUR ARPT PAGE. I'M NOT THAT FAMILIAR WITH SEA ARPT AND AT DEP TIME WE CHKED OUR ARPT DIAGRAM PAGES FOR SEA AND IT INDICATED THAT AN ADVISORY CALL FOR PUSHBACK WAS ALL THAT WAS REQUIRED TO GND CTL. AT THE TIME, GND CTL WAS QUITE BUSY AND WE COULDN'T GET A WORD IN, SO WE WENT AHEAD AND PUSHED THE ACFT FIGURING THAT WE'D LET GND KNOW AS SOON AS WE COULD! UNFORTUNATELY, THIS PARTICULAR GATE PUSHES BACK INTO A MOVEMENT AREA AND SEA GND WASN'T THRILLED THAT WE DID NOT CALL FOR PUSHBACK. I APOLOGIZED AND THE REST OF OUR TAXI WAS UNEVENTFUL. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF OUR ARPT DIAGRAM PAGE INDICATED THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN 'GATES' THAT REQUIRE A CLRNC FOR PUSHBACK. ALL IT STATES IS THAT AN ADVISORY CALL TO GND IS THE PROC. OTHER ARPTS SUCH AS LAX AND CLE INDICATE THAT A PUSHBACK ADVISORY CALL TO GND IS PROC EXCEPT GATES 'SUCH AND SUCH' WHICH REQUIRE A PUSHBACK CLRNC FROM GND CTL. FROM NOW ON, I WILL JUST GO AHEAD AND CALL GND CTL FOR PUSHBACK CLRNC -- PERIOD!

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.