 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
An A319 with APU bleed inoperative was cleared to start with ground cooling air still attached. The flight crew aborted the start when notified about the ground air.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 789889 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200806 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : zzz.airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Altitude | agl single value : 0 |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | A319 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | ground : parked |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 14601 flight time type : 4367 |
| ASRS Report | 789889 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | conflict : ground less severe non adherence : published procedure non adherence : company policies |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : took precautionary avoidance action |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Company |
| Primary Problem | Company |
Narrative:
The scenario hot humid day; APU bleed inoperative. Airplane almost full of passenger; ground air conditioning cart air not keeping up. We are ready to go a few mins late. No push crew. Flight deck becoming unbearably hot. (By the way; the flight crew gets charged with the delay; initially.) the push crew finally shows up about 1 hour after scheduled departure. They have bags to load. Cargo door closes; start cart revs up and someone on the headset tells us they are ready for engine start. We get clearance from ramp control and commence engine #1 start. Suddenly someone's standing on the tug and frantically waving the universal stop signal at the captain while pointing at engine #1. No one's on the headset now. We abort the start. Someone else finally gets on the headset and tells us that the ground air conditioning cart air had not been disconnected. Luckily; no one's hurt and nothing's broken. I ask if someone else had gotten on the headset a few mins earlier. I'm told they had but then walked off to disconnect ground air conditioning cart air (without letting us know). Lesson learned: I probably won't be accepting an airplane with an inoperative APU bleed at this airport again.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: AN A319 WITH APU BLEED INOP WAS CLEARED TO START WITH GND COOLING AIR STILL ATTACHED. THE FLT CREW ABORTED THE START WHEN NOTIFIED ABOUT THE GND AIR.
Narrative: THE SCENARIO HOT HUMID DAY; APU BLEED INOP. AIRPLANE ALMOST FULL OF PAX; GND AIR CONDITIONING CART AIR NOT KEEPING UP. WE ARE READY TO GO A FEW MINS LATE. NO PUSH CREW. FLT DECK BECOMING UNBEARABLY HOT. (BY THE WAY; THE FLT CREW GETS CHARGED WITH THE DELAY; INITIALLY.) THE PUSH CREW FINALLY SHOWS UP ABOUT 1 HR AFTER SCHEDULED DEP. THEY HAVE BAGS TO LOAD. CARGO DOOR CLOSES; START CART REVS UP AND SOMEONE ON THE HEADSET TELLS US THEY ARE READY FOR ENG START. WE GET CLRNC FROM RAMP CTL AND COMMENCE ENG #1 START. SUDDENLY SOMEONE'S STANDING ON THE TUG AND FRANTICALLY WAVING THE UNIVERSAL STOP SIGNAL AT THE CAPT WHILE POINTING AT ENG #1. NO ONE'S ON THE HEADSET NOW. WE ABORT THE START. SOMEONE ELSE FINALLY GETS ON THE HEADSET AND TELLS US THAT THE GND AIR CONDITIONING CART AIR HAD NOT BEEN DISCONNECTED. LUCKILY; NO ONE'S HURT AND NOTHING'S BROKEN. I ASK IF SOMEONE ELSE HAD GOTTEN ON THE HEADSET A FEW MINS EARLIER. I'M TOLD THEY HAD BUT THEN WALKED OFF TO DISCONNECT GND AIR CONDITIONING CART AIR (WITHOUT LETTING US KNOW). LESSON LEARNED: I PROBABLY WON'T BE ACCEPTING AN AIRPLANE WITH AN INOP APU BLEED AT THIS ARPT AGAIN.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.