Narrative:

A late departure and scheduled aircraft switch at san placed this flight at risk of not meeting the departure curfew at san. Once arriving at the gate in san the captain and I proceeded directly to the outbound aircraft at the next gate. The aircraft was staffed with the cabin crew and was completely boarded. I immediately noticed 2 mechanical discrepancies that required maintenance action before departure. The remaining duties associated with preparing the aircraft for departure were completed with haste in an effort to meet the curfew. The flight was cleared to push onto taxiway. After engine start, the captain and I both realized that we did not recall seeing a salute, although the ramp appeared to be clear. The captain requested that the station send personnel out to visually confirm that all personnel and equipment were clear. This step was accomplished, and a taxi clearance requested. The captain applied taxi thrust and attempted to begin a left turn to line up on taxiway. I felt the aircraft come to an abrupt stop. The captain stated that he couldn't turn the aircraft. The realization that the nosewheel steering lockout pin must still be in place came at the same time that a call came from the cabin. A flight attendant advised that a fellow flight attendant had struck the corner of a bulkhead with her arm/hand/shoulder as she lost her balance during the abrupt stop. She was in sufficient pain to be crying. The station was advised, and sent personnel to remove the steering pin and guide the aircraft back into the gate. The flight was canceled and all personnel deplaned. The injured flight attendant refused emergency treatment. Contributing factors: inbound flight late due to issues in den. Aircraft switch with less than sufficient time to comfortably accomplish departure procedures (cockpit crew). Ground crew was visibly rushing to allow flight to depart inside curfew and pulled ground power without clearance, failed to remove steering lockout pin, failed to give a salute/release, or failed to ensure that same was observed by captain. Maintenance discrepancies that were fairly obvious in the dark (dent/blistered paint on left side of fuselage in location of previous repair, and all position lights inoperative on right wingtip) had gone unnoticed prior to the flight crew arrival and passenger boarding due to no maintenance 'a' check or presumably no ground crew walkaround.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: IN A HURRIED ATTEMPT TO DEPART BEFORE CURFEW, FLT CREW OF B757-200 DISCOVERS NOSE GEAR STEERING IS DISABLED AND APPLY BRAKES ABRUPTLY. CABIN ATTENDANT PERFORMING PRIOR TO TKOF DUTIES IS INJURED. RETURN TO GATE AND CANCEL FLT DUE TO CURFEW.

Narrative: A LATE DEP AND SCHEDULED ACFT SWITCH AT SAN PLACED THIS FLT AT RISK OF NOT MEETING THE DEP CURFEW AT SAN. ONCE ARRIVING AT THE GATE IN SAN THE CAPT AND I PROCEEDED DIRECTLY TO THE OUTBOUND ACFT AT THE NEXT GATE. THE ACFT WAS STAFFED WITH THE CABIN CREW AND WAS COMPLETELY BOARDED. I IMMEDIATELY NOTICED 2 MECHANICAL DISCREPANCIES THAT REQUIRED MAINT ACTION BEFORE DEP. THE REMAINING DUTIES ASSOCIATED WITH PREPARING THE ACFT FOR DEP WERE COMPLETED WITH HASTE IN AN EFFORT TO MEET THE CURFEW. THE FLT WAS CLRED TO PUSH ONTO TXWY. AFTER ENG START, THE CAPT AND I BOTH REALIZED THAT WE DID NOT RECALL SEEING A SALUTE, ALTHOUGH THE RAMP APPEARED TO BE CLR. THE CAPT REQUESTED THAT THE STATION SEND PERSONNEL OUT TO VISUALLY CONFIRM THAT ALL PERSONNEL AND EQUIP WERE CLR. THIS STEP WAS ACCOMPLISHED, AND A TAXI CLRNC REQUESTED. THE CAPT APPLIED TAXI THRUST AND ATTEMPTED TO BEGIN A L TURN TO LINE UP ON TXWY. I FELT THE ACFT COME TO AN ABRUPT STOP. THE CAPT STATED THAT HE COULDN'T TURN THE ACFT. THE REALIZATION THAT THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING LOCKOUT PIN MUST STILL BE IN PLACE CAME AT THE SAME TIME THAT A CALL CAME FROM THE CABIN. A FLT ATTENDANT ADVISED THAT A FELLOW FLT ATTENDANT HAD STRUCK THE CORNER OF A BULKHEAD WITH HER ARM/HAND/SHOULDER AS SHE LOST HER BAL DURING THE ABRUPT STOP. SHE WAS IN SUFFICIENT PAIN TO BE CRYING. THE STATION WAS ADVISED, AND SENT PERSONNEL TO REMOVE THE STEERING PIN AND GUIDE THE ACFT BACK INTO THE GATE. THE FLT WAS CANCELED AND ALL PERSONNEL DEPLANED. THE INJURED FLT ATTENDANT REFUSED EMER TREATMENT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: INBOUND FLT LATE DUE TO ISSUES IN DEN. ACFT SWITCH WITH LESS THAN SUFFICIENT TIME TO COMFORTABLY ACCOMPLISH DEP PROCS (COCKPIT CREW). GND CREW WAS VISIBLY RUSHING TO ALLOW FLT TO DEPART INSIDE CURFEW AND PULLED GND PWR WITHOUT CLRNC, FAILED TO REMOVE STEERING LOCKOUT PIN, FAILED TO GIVE A SALUTE/RELEASE, OR FAILED TO ENSURE THAT SAME WAS OBSERVED BY CAPT. MAINT DISCREPANCIES THAT WERE FAIRLY OBVIOUS IN THE DARK (DENT/BLISTERED PAINT ON L SIDE OF FUSELAGE IN LOCATION OF PREVIOUS REPAIR, AND ALL POS LIGHTS INOP ON R WINGTIP) HAD GONE UNNOTICED PRIOR TO THE FLT CREW ARR AND PAX BOARDING DUE TO NO MAINT 'A' CHK OR PRESUMABLY NO GND CREW WALKAROUND.

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.