Narrative:

Captain and I were informed by crew scheduling to call our ord maintenance base and get a high speed taxi together. We had just finished a 13 hour shift and we stayed on duty to do this. Maintenance had a ground power unit plugged in. Maintenance did not start us up or even go with us for the test run. (They were too busy.) when we finally had a ramp person come to our ramp and start us captain gave him signals to pull the chocks, disconnect the gpu and remove it, with his tug. The ramp person saluted him as to say he was cleared to taxi. My captain had asked me to clear the right side, and I doublechked to see if the gpu was disconnected. I looked to my right and cleared the area. After captain rolled over the chocks. I then looked up again at the gpu panel and the panel showed that the gpu was disconnected. Within 2 seconds after I saw the panel--we hit the gpu. The ramp person did not pull it away from the aircraft. The gpu was also in a position, very near and low, next to the airplane where I could not see it. The ramp person thought we were only doing a run up. He called into operations and they told him that it was only a runup and also maintenance never told operations that the aircraft was to taxi out to the runway. I was told that ord company ramp procedures allow a gpu to be disconnected but not removed. I was recently transferred to ord from dtw and never heard of such a thing. I did not see the gpu and I never had any doubts in my mind that a gpu would still be in front of a propeller even if it was disconnected. I feel that a lack of procedures and no communication between the maintenance department, operations and ramp personnel played a major part of this collision.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MDT HIT GND POWER UNIT TAXIING AWAY FROM THE RAMP AREA.

Narrative: CAPT AND I WERE INFORMED BY CREW SCHEDULING TO CALL OUR ORD MAINT BASE AND GET A HIGH SPD TAXI TOGETHER. WE HAD JUST FINISHED A 13 HR SHIFT AND WE STAYED ON DUTY TO DO THIS. MAINT HAD A GND PWR UNIT PLUGGED IN. MAINT DID NOT START US UP OR EVEN GO WITH US FOR THE TEST RUN. (THEY WERE TOO BUSY.) WHEN WE FINALLY HAD A RAMP PERSON COME TO OUR RAMP AND START US CAPT GAVE HIM SIGNALS TO PULL THE CHOCKS, DISCONNECT THE GPU AND REMOVE IT, WITH HIS TUG. THE RAMP PERSON SALUTED HIM AS TO SAY HE WAS CLRED TO TAXI. MY CAPT HAD ASKED ME TO CLR THE RIGHT SIDE, AND I DOUBLECHKED TO SEE IF THE GPU WAS DISCONNECTED. I LOOKED TO MY RIGHT AND CLRED THE AREA. AFTER CAPT ROLLED OVER THE CHOCKS. I THEN LOOKED UP AGAIN AT THE GPU PANEL AND THE PANEL SHOWED THAT THE GPU WAS DISCONNECTED. WITHIN 2 SECS AFTER I SAW THE PANEL--WE HIT THE GPU. THE RAMP PERSON DID NOT PULL IT AWAY FROM THE ACFT. THE GPU WAS ALSO IN A POS, VERY NEAR AND LOW, NEXT TO THE AIRPLANE WHERE I COULD NOT SEE IT. THE RAMP PERSON THOUGHT WE WERE ONLY DOING A RUN UP. HE CALLED INTO OPS AND THEY TOLD HIM THAT IT WAS ONLY A RUNUP AND ALSO MAINT NEVER TOLD OPS THAT THE ACFT WAS TO TAXI OUT TO THE RWY. I WAS TOLD THAT ORD COMPANY RAMP PROCS ALLOW A GPU TO BE DISCONNECTED BUT NOT REMOVED. I WAS RECENTLY TRANSFERRED TO ORD FROM DTW AND NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING. I DID NOT SEE THE GPU AND I NEVER HAD ANY DOUBTS IN MY MIND THAT A GPU WOULD STILL BE IN FRONT OF A PROP EVEN IF IT WAS DISCONNECTED. I FEEL THAT A LACK OF PROCS AND NO COM BTWN THE MAINT DEPT, OPS AND RAMP PERSONNEL PLAYED A MAJOR PART OF THIS COLLISION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.