 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
A B767-300 captain is asked by a ground agent if the cargo door is closed. The cargo door light is not MEL'able and the captain later realizes its operation should have been confirmed because of the agent's uncertainty about the door's position.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 809875 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200810 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : zzz.airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Altitude | agl single value : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B767-300 and 300 ER |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | ground : preflight ground : parked ground : pushback |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 22000 flight time type : 380 |
| ASRS Report | 809875 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Aircraft Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
Narrative:
At departure time; crew chief asked over headset if cargo doors were closed. I told him they were closed and asked him why he asked. He responded that he had trouble with his door closed light. I responded that they were closed and asked first officer who was on gate control to request pushback. After pushback and before disconnecting crew chief asked me to make a note of the problem. I responded that I would. I didn't think anymore about it as on all previous aircraft I have flown; cycling cargo doors to get the lights out is a very common occurrence. I later discovered that in the MEL his door light is a required item. I checked the maintenance history the next day and found no reports for the ground cargo door light; so am confident that it was not inoperative. I submit this report because after thinking more about the situation and discovering how important the ground light is; I should have asked more questions.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A B767-300 CAPTAIN IS ASKED BY A GROUND AGENT IF THE CARGO DOOR IS CLOSED. THE CARGO DOOR LIGHT IS NOT MEL'ABLE AND THE CAPTAIN LATER REALIZES ITS OPERATION SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED BECAUSE OF THE AGENT'S UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE DOOR'S POSITION.
Narrative: AT DEP TIME; CREW CHIEF ASKED OVER HEADSET IF CARGO DOORS WERE CLOSED. I TOLD HIM THEY WERE CLOSED AND ASKED HIM WHY HE ASKED. HE RESPONDED THAT HE HAD TROUBLE WITH HIS DOOR CLOSED LIGHT. I RESPONDED THAT THEY WERE CLOSED AND ASKED FO WHO WAS ON GATE CTL TO REQUEST PUSHBACK. AFTER PUSHBACK AND BEFORE DISCONNECTING CREW CHIEF ASKED ME TO MAKE A NOTE OF THE PROB. I RESPONDED THAT I WOULD. I DIDN'T THINK ANYMORE ABOUT IT AS ON ALL PREVIOUS ACFT I HAVE FLOWN; CYCLING CARGO DOORS TO GET THE LIGHTS OUT IS A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE. I LATER DISCOVERED THAT IN THE MEL HIS DOOR LIGHT IS A REQUIRED ITEM. I CHKED THE MAINT HISTORY THE NEXT DAY AND FOUND NO RPTS FOR THE GND CARGO DOOR LIGHT; SO AM CONFIDENT THAT IT WAS NOT INOP. I SUBMIT THIS RPT BECAUSE AFTER THINKING MORE ABOUT THE SITUATION AND DISCOVERING HOW IMPORTANT THE GND LIGHT IS; I SHOULD HAVE ASKED MORE QUESTIONS.
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.