Narrative:

The company has recently stopped supplying checklists to the aircraft and is instead giving them to the crew members in order to assure the currency of the list. The problem that this creates; however; is the likelihood of a crew member losing the checklist as we move from plane to plane. Since this new procedure was enacted; I have flown 2 pairings with 4 first officer's. On 3 of those; the first officer's had lost their checklists and asked to borrow mine. After the flight segment before this one; the first officer lost mine; which I discovered at departure time; and we were left to operate this flight with the checklist that the relief pilot had aboard. With no relief pilot we would have had no checklist nor the backside with the important safety drills. When mine is replaced; I will not allow anyone else to borrow it. The company is completely ignoring human factors here. When the checklists were in the plane; they were always available for us. Now we must carry them from plane to plane and inevitably they get misplaced. Once we are out in the field; there are no replacements available and we must resort to the printed manuals. It is a bit of a pain to dig through the printed manual for a normal checklist; but a bit more crucial to have to find the abnormal procedures in an aom that would normally be readily available to you on the back side of the checklist should an emergency arise. The phase of flight where critical things happen is no time to be digging a manual out as you stabilize the situation. A checklist card can be held in your field of vision as you verify its items and continue to scan the gauges. That is a lot more difficult to do with a ring bound manual. Even more questionable is a new practice that I am seeing in the field. Since the company is charging money for replacement checklists; and since the company says checklists are no longer required since the information is in the aom's; people are starting to talk about homemade checklists of various shapes and sizes. This is a very dangerous precedent; but one that seems valid if you buy the company's argument that a single sheet checklist is not a requirement. Crew members also seem to be relying (or attempting to) more on memory for things that are on the card. I have worked at many companies and I am sorry to say that this is the first one that I have ever seen where crew members had to pay for their own lost or worn out checklist cards. Ours are now the first cockpits that I have ever seen; and this goes back to my GA C150 days; that do not have plasticized checklists installed as part of the aircraft's equipment; not as part of the pilot's.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B767 CAPTAIN REPORTS THAT HIS ACR NO LONGER PLACES CHECKLISTS ON ACFT; INSTEAD THEY ARE ISSUED TO EACH PILOT AND ARE BEING MISPLACED DUE TO OLD HABIT PATTERNS.

Narrative: THE COMPANY HAS RECENTLY STOPPED SUPPLYING CHKLISTS TO THE ACFT AND IS INSTEAD GIVING THEM TO THE CREW MEMBERS IN ORDER TO ASSURE THE CURRENCY OF THE LIST. THE PROB THAT THIS CREATES; HOWEVER; IS THE LIKELIHOOD OF A CREW MEMBER LOSING THE CHKLIST AS WE MOVE FROM PLANE TO PLANE. SINCE THIS NEW PROC WAS ENACTED; I HAVE FLOWN 2 PAIRINGS WITH 4 FO'S. ON 3 OF THOSE; THE FO'S HAD LOST THEIR CHKLISTS AND ASKED TO BORROW MINE. AFTER THE FLT SEGMENT BEFORE THIS ONE; THE FO LOST MINE; WHICH I DISCOVERED AT DEP TIME; AND WE WERE LEFT TO OPERATE THIS FLT WITH THE CHKLIST THAT THE RELIEF PLT HAD ABOARD. WITH NO RELIEF PLT WE WOULD HAVE HAD NO CHKLIST NOR THE BACKSIDE WITH THE IMPORTANT SAFETY DRILLS. WHEN MINE IS REPLACED; I WILL NOT ALLOW ANYONE ELSE TO BORROW IT. THE COMPANY IS COMPLETELY IGNORING HUMAN FACTORS HERE. WHEN THE CHKLISTS WERE IN THE PLANE; THEY WERE ALWAYS AVAILABLE FOR US. NOW WE MUST CARRY THEM FROM PLANE TO PLANE AND INEVITABLY THEY GET MISPLACED. ONCE WE ARE OUT IN THE FIELD; THERE ARE NO REPLACEMENTS AVAILABLE AND WE MUST RESORT TO THE PRINTED MANUALS. IT IS A BIT OF A PAIN TO DIG THROUGH THE PRINTED MANUAL FOR A NORMAL CHKLIST; BUT A BIT MORE CRUCIAL TO HAVE TO FIND THE ABNORMAL PROCS IN AN AOM THAT WOULD NORMALLY BE READILY AVAILABLE TO YOU ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE CHKLIST SHOULD AN EMER ARISE. THE PHASE OF FLT WHERE CRITICAL THINGS HAPPEN IS NO TIME TO BE DIGGING A MANUAL OUT AS YOU STABILIZE THE SITUATION. A CHKLIST CARD CAN BE HELD IN YOUR FIELD OF VISION AS YOU VERIFY ITS ITEMS AND CONTINUE TO SCAN THE GAUGES. THAT IS A LOT MORE DIFFICULT TO DO WITH A RING BOUND MANUAL. EVEN MORE QUESTIONABLE IS A NEW PRACTICE THAT I AM SEEING IN THE FIELD. SINCE THE COMPANY IS CHARGING MONEY FOR REPLACEMENT CHKLISTS; AND SINCE THE COMPANY SAYS CHKLISTS ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED SINCE THE INFO IS IN THE AOM'S; PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO TALK ABOUT HOMEMADE CHKLISTS OF VARIOUS SHAPES AND SIZES. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PRECEDENT; BUT ONE THAT SEEMS VALID IF YOU BUY THE COMPANY'S ARGUMENT THAT A SINGLE SHEET CHKLIST IS NOT A REQUIREMENT. CREW MEMBERS ALSO SEEM TO BE RELYING (OR ATTEMPTING TO) MORE ON MEMORY FOR THINGS THAT ARE ON THE CARD. I HAVE WORKED AT MANY COMPANIES AND I AM SORRY TO SAY THAT THIS IS THE FIRST ONE THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN WHERE CREW MEMBERS HAD TO PAY FOR THEIR OWN LOST OR WORN OUT CHKLIST CARDS. OURS ARE NOW THE FIRST COCKPITS THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN; AND THIS GOES BACK TO MY GA C150 DAYS; THAT DO NOT HAVE PLASTICIZED CHKLISTS INSTALLED AS PART OF THE ACFT'S EQUIP; NOT AS PART OF THE PLT'S.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.