Narrative:

On the ramp in ZZZ; both engines started. When ready to taxi I give the ok sign to the marshaller; which right away without looking around; he gives us the sign that we can turn right; but we realize that air carrier X is in my way; so I point out to the marshaller that there is a plane to my right. He apologized; and brings to our attention that it's been a very hot day. Once air carrier moves; the ground marshaller gives us the signal that it is clear to turn; so I slowly advance the thrust levers to have enough power to move forward and start the turn with the tiller; idle the engines and keep slowly turning. With the engines idled the plane will keep moving slowly; and prevent jet blast damage behind the aircraft. While turning my first officer realized that we were about to hit one of the red plastic cones. He took action by verbally alerting me of the red cone and stopping the aircraft by applying the brakes. I look at the marshaller to make sure that we are clear; and he is telling me that we are ok to continue; by then we have already executed a 90 degree turn to the right. I slowly add power enough for the aircraft to have a slow forward motion and initiate the turn with the tiller and immediately idle the engines; in order to prevent jet blasting the ramp; and then taxi out to the runway. But; unfortunately; that night it was brought to my attention from the chief pilot that the taxi out of the ramp in ZZZ has caused some passenger to be injured; when I executed the second portion of my turn. We couldn't see if there were passenger being boarded on the ramp area for how the aircraft was positioned. The only way of knowing that it was safe to continue was what the ground marshaller was telling us. I believe that this could have been prevented if the marshaller was more aware of his surroundings or even better; by having jetbridge to the aircraft and a tug pushing us back in a safe area; where we can initiate our taxi from the ramp to the runway safely. Supplemental information from acn 750602: upon closing the door; captain started both engines. We then completed the checklist and contacted ground for clearance to taxi. The marshaller gave us the signal to taxi; but we waited for an aircraft to pushback. The marshaller again gave us clearance to commence the right turn. During the initial turn I realized that we may strike 2 cones and a pair of chocks. Captain could not see them so I said 'whoa' and used the brakes. After stopping we discussed the obstacles and the marshaller assured us that we would clear it. We then completed our 180 degree turn and came to a stop before crossing in front of a CRJ700. Captain confirmed with ground control that we were cleared to taxi in front of them. We then begun our taxi out for takeoff. I was not aware that a passenger had been injured on the ramp. This incident could have been prevented if I would have asked for clarification about our initial power out. An initial turn to the left or right would have both been tight due to obstacles. If we would have continued the turn instead of stopping the extra thrust would not have been needed. I believe continuing the turn would have prevented this incident from occurring. In the future I will be certain to ask more questions during the briefings if I am unsure of the details of the flight. I believe this incident could also have been prevented by the station adopting a new boarding policy; or changing the positioning of aircraft. An ideal solution would be to hold passenger boarding and deplaning while other aircraft are taxiing out. I did witness a female passenger; that was blown by jet blast during our quick turn. She was obviously not injured but she stopped and turned her head. Callback conversation with reporter acn 750602 revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the ground personnel did not at any time indicate that people were on the ramp behind them. They did not know that they had been part of an injury event until later that night when they received a call. The FAA did not get involved as far as this reporter knows. Supplemental information from acn 750599: we were boarding our flight. In order to board the aircraft; the passenger had to walk down the jetway at gate X4; walk down a flight of moveable stairs and then walk across the ramp to the aircraft. As many of our passenger were walking across the ramp; the ground personnel marshalled another aircraft to taxi out of the gate in front of us. The other aircraft was positioned such that as a 180 degree turn was made; the jet blast was directed at our aircraft and passenger. The blast was strong; and at least 2 passenger were knocked down (a woman and her child). Other passenger lost articles that were blown away. The 2 passenger that were knocked down appeared shaken up and to have scrapes from the pavement. Our flight attendant did an excellent job of attending to them immediately. They refused medical attention and wished to board the flight. During the flight; they expressed a desire to be treated by medical personnel at destination. I requested emt meet the aircraft at the gate. The 2 passenger were transported to a hospital. This situation would have been avoided if the jetway in ZZZ was used as designed. Having passenger walk across a ramp is dangerous and a jetway was available but not used to promote passenger safety. I believe that our passenger and crews would be safer if jetways and pushback tugs were used for all operations at all cities. Although there appeared to be a safe distance; the ramp crew should not have directed the other aircraft to power out in a direction that put passenger in the blast zone. Using a tug to push the other aircraft back would have been better. Finally; limited thrust should be used when powering out. A high volume of thrust was not appropriate and it is important that we all maintain situational awareness during all phases of operation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FOUR ACR PILOTS DESCRIBE ONE CRJ 200 TAXIING OUT OF A RAMP AREA INJURING THE OTHER CRJ'S PAX AS BREAKAWAY THRUST WAS INCREASED TO BEGIN TAXIING.

Narrative: ON THE RAMP IN ZZZ; BOTH ENGS STARTED. WHEN READY TO TAXI I GIVE THE OK SIGN TO THE MARSHALLER; WHICH RIGHT AWAY WITHOUT LOOKING AROUND; HE GIVES US THE SIGN THAT WE CAN TURN R; BUT WE REALIZE THAT ACR X IS IN MY WAY; SO I POINT OUT TO THE MARSHALLER THAT THERE IS A PLANE TO MY R. HE APOLOGIZED; AND BRINGS TO OUR ATTN THAT IT'S BEEN A VERY HOT DAY. ONCE ACR MOVES; THE GND MARSHALLER GIVES US THE SIGNAL THAT IT IS CLR TO TURN; SO I SLOWLY ADVANCE THE THRUST LEVERS TO HAVE ENOUGH PWR TO MOVE FORWARD AND START THE TURN WITH THE TILLER; IDLE THE ENGS AND KEEP SLOWLY TURNING. WITH THE ENGS IDLED THE PLANE WILL KEEP MOVING SLOWLY; AND PREVENT JET BLAST DAMAGE BEHIND THE ACFT. WHILE TURNING MY FO REALIZED THAT WE WERE ABOUT TO HIT ONE OF THE RED PLASTIC CONES. HE TOOK ACTION BY VERBALLY ALERTING ME OF THE RED CONE AND STOPPING THE ACFT BY APPLYING THE BRAKES. I LOOK AT THE MARSHALLER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE CLR; AND HE IS TELLING ME THAT WE ARE OK TO CONTINUE; BY THEN WE HAVE ALREADY EXECUTED A 90 DEG TURN TO THE R. I SLOWLY ADD PWR ENOUGH FOR THE ACFT TO HAVE A SLOW FORWARD MOTION AND INITIATE THE TURN WITH THE TILLER AND IMMEDIATELY IDLE THE ENGS; IN ORDER TO PREVENT JET BLASTING THE RAMP; AND THEN TAXI OUT TO THE RWY. BUT; UNFORTUNATELY; THAT NIGHT IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTN FROM THE CHIEF PLT THAT THE TAXI OUT OF THE RAMP IN ZZZ HAS CAUSED SOME PAX TO BE INJURED; WHEN I EXECUTED THE SECOND PORTION OF MY TURN. WE COULDN'T SEE IF THERE WERE PAX BEING BOARDED ON THE RAMP AREA FOR HOW THE ACFT WAS POSITIONED. THE ONLY WAY OF KNOWING THAT IT WAS SAFE TO CONTINUE WAS WHAT THE GND MARSHALLER WAS TELLING US. I BELIEVE THAT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF THE MARSHALLER WAS MORE AWARE OF HIS SURROUNDINGS OR EVEN BETTER; BY HAVING JETBRIDGE TO THE ACFT AND A TUG PUSHING US BACK IN A SAFE AREA; WHERE WE CAN INITIATE OUR TAXI FROM THE RAMP TO THE RWY SAFELY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 750602: UPON CLOSING THE DOOR; CAPT STARTED BOTH ENGS. WE THEN COMPLETED THE CHKLIST AND CONTACTED GND FOR CLRNC TO TAXI. THE MARSHALLER GAVE US THE SIGNAL TO TAXI; BUT WE WAITED FOR AN ACFT TO PUSHBACK. THE MARSHALLER AGAIN GAVE US CLRNC TO COMMENCE THE R TURN. DURING THE INITIAL TURN I REALIZED THAT WE MAY STRIKE 2 CONES AND A PAIR OF CHOCKS. CAPT COULD NOT SEE THEM SO I SAID 'WHOA' AND USED THE BRAKES. AFTER STOPPING WE DISCUSSED THE OBSTACLES AND THE MARSHALLER ASSURED US THAT WE WOULD CLR IT. WE THEN COMPLETED OUR 180 DEG TURN AND CAME TO A STOP BEFORE XING IN FRONT OF A CRJ700. CAPT CONFIRMED WITH GND CTL THAT WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI IN FRONT OF THEM. WE THEN BEGUN OUR TAXI OUT FOR TKOF. I WAS NOT AWARE THAT A PAX HAD BEEN INJURED ON THE RAMP. THIS INCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF I WOULD HAVE ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION ABOUT OUR INITIAL PWR OUT. AN INITIAL TURN TO THE L OR R WOULD HAVE BOTH BEEN TIGHT DUE TO OBSTACLES. IF WE WOULD HAVE CONTINUED THE TURN INSTEAD OF STOPPING THE EXTRA THRUST WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN NEEDED. I BELIEVE CONTINUING THE TURN WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS INCIDENT FROM OCCURRING. IN THE FUTURE I WILL BE CERTAIN TO ASK MORE QUESTIONS DURING THE BRIEFINGS IF I AM UNSURE OF THE DETAILS OF THE FLT. I BELIEVE THIS INCIDENT COULD ALSO HAVE BEEN PREVENTED BY THE STATION ADOPTING A NEW BOARDING POLICY; OR CHANGING THE POSITIONING OF ACFT. AN IDEAL SOLUTION WOULD BE TO HOLD PAX BOARDING AND DEPLANING WHILE OTHER ACFT ARE TAXIING OUT. I DID WITNESS A FEMALE PAX; THAT WAS BLOWN BY JET BLAST DURING OUR QUICK TURN. SHE WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT INJURED BUT SHE STOPPED AND TURNED HER HEAD. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 750602 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE GND PERSONNEL DID NOT AT ANY TIME INDICATE THAT PEOPLE WERE ON THE RAMP BEHIND THEM. THEY DID NOT KNOW THAT THEY HAD BEEN PART OF AN INJURY EVENT UNTIL LATER THAT NIGHT WHEN THEY RECEIVED A CALL. THE FAA DID NOT GET INVOLVED AS FAR AS THIS RPTR KNOWS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 750599: WE WERE BOARDING OUR FLT. IN ORDER TO BOARD THE ACFT; THE PAX HAD TO WALK DOWN THE JETWAY AT GATE X4; WALK DOWN A FLT OF MOVEABLE STAIRS AND THEN WALK ACROSS THE RAMP TO THE ACFT. AS MANY OF OUR PAX WERE WALKING ACROSS THE RAMP; THE GND PERSONNEL MARSHALLED ANOTHER ACFT TO TAXI OUT OF THE GATE IN FRONT OF US. THE OTHER ACFT WAS POSITIONED SUCH THAT AS A 180 DEG TURN WAS MADE; THE JET BLAST WAS DIRECTED AT OUR ACFT AND PAX. THE BLAST WAS STRONG; AND AT LEAST 2 PAX WERE KNOCKED DOWN (A WOMAN AND HER CHILD). OTHER PAX LOST ARTICLES THAT WERE BLOWN AWAY. THE 2 PAX THAT WERE KNOCKED DOWN APPEARED SHAKEN UP AND TO HAVE SCRAPES FROM THE PAVEMENT. OUR FLT ATTENDANT DID AN EXCELLENT JOB OF ATTENDING TO THEM IMMEDIATELY. THEY REFUSED MEDICAL ATTN AND WISHED TO BOARD THE FLT. DURING THE FLT; THEY EXPRESSED A DESIRE TO BE TREATED BY MEDICAL PERSONNEL AT DEST. I REQUESTED EMT MEET THE ACFT AT THE GATE. THE 2 PAX WERE TRANSPORTED TO A HOSPITAL. THIS SITUATION WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE JETWAY IN ZZZ WAS USED AS DESIGNED. HAVING PAX WALK ACROSS A RAMP IS DANGEROUS AND A JETWAY WAS AVAILABLE BUT NOT USED TO PROMOTE PAX SAFETY. I BELIEVE THAT OUR PAX AND CREWS WOULD BE SAFER IF JETWAYS AND PUSHBACK TUGS WERE USED FOR ALL OPS AT ALL CITIES. ALTHOUGH THERE APPEARED TO BE A SAFE DISTANCE; THE RAMP CREW SHOULD NOT HAVE DIRECTED THE OTHER ACFT TO PWR OUT IN A DIRECTION THAT PUT PAX IN THE BLAST ZONE. USING A TUG TO PUSH THE OTHER ACFT BACK WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER. FINALLY; LIMITED THRUST SHOULD BE USED WHEN POWERING OUT. A HIGH VOLUME OF THRUST WAS NOT APPROPRIATE AND IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE ALL MAINTAIN SITUATIONAL AWARENESS DURING ALL PHASES OF OP.

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.