ACR PLT CONFUSED WITH 'STANDARD TAXI RTE' AT DTW AND FAILS TO CHANGE TO DIFFERENT GND FREQ AT PROPER POINT.

Date: 1991-11 · Aircraft: Medium Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

ACR PLT CONFUSED WITH 'STANDARD TAXI RTE' AT DTW AND FAILS TO CHANGE TO DIFFERENT GND FREQ AT PROPER POINT.

Narrative

ON NOV/THU/91; I WAS DEPARTING DTW. WHEN READY FOR TAXI; WE WERE GIVEN A NEW TAXI PROC THAT IS CALLED A STANDARD TAXI TO A GIVEN RWY; IN OUR CASE TO 3C. I ASSUME THIS GREW OUT OF THE ACCIDENT THAT HAPPENED ON DEC/XX/1990; AND IS AIMED AT PREVENTING ANOTHER SUCH ACCIDENT. THIS PROC OUTLINES THE RTE TO BE TAKEN; AND I APPLAUD THIS PART OF THE PROC; HOWEVER; THE ADDITIONAL PART OF THIS PROC TENDS TO REVERSE THE BENEFITS GAINED AT SUCH A TIME WHEN THEY ARE NEEDED MOST. ON THIS DAY; THE TEMP HAD FALLEN; SNOW HAD BEEN FALLING AND VISIBILITY WAS DOWN. IT WASN'T AS BAD; BUT IT REMINDED ME OF THE DEC/XX. THE PROC CALLS FOR THE PLTS TO CHANGE GND CTL FREQS AT A CERTAIN POINT. THIS POINT IS NOT MARKED BY SIGNS; AS IT IS AT MANY OTHER ARPTS; NOR IS THE PLT REMINDED AS THEY ARE AT OTHER ARPTS. THE PLT IS JUST GIVEN THE STANDARD TAXI TO THE RWY. WHEN THE PLTS ARE LOADED DOWN WITH PREPARING THE AIRPLANE FOR TKOF AND TAXIING ON A CONGESTED RAMP; THE ADDITIONAL DISTRS CAUSED BY WX OR OTHER FACTORS CAN CAUSE THE FREQ CHANGE TO BE MISSED. THIS IS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS DURING BAD WX WHEN POSITIVE AND SURE CONTACT WITH THE GND CTLR CAN PREVENT ANOTHER ACCIDENT LIKE THAT OF DEC/XX. THIS HAS BEEN COMPROMISED FARTHER BY THE ATTITUDE OF SOME CTLRS. IN THE DAYS PRECEDING NOV/XX; WE AND OTHER FLTS EXPERIENCES ARROGANCE AND SARCASM WHEN WE CHANGED GND FREQ AND WERE TOLD BY THE CTLR HE WAS CTLING BOTH SIDES. ALSO; OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS SEVERAL RIDICULOUS INFRACTION CHARGES WERE FILED AGAINST 2 OF OUR PLTS BY DTW GND CTLRS. I BELIEVE UNNECESSARY PRESSURES BY BUREAUCRATS AND OTHERS IN THE FAA HAVE PRODUCED AN ATMOSPHERE THAT DEGRADES THE NECESSARY COM BTWN PLTS AND CTLRS. RETURNING TO OUR TAXI OUT ON NOV/XX; BECAUSE OF THE ADDITIONAL DISTRS AS NOTED ABOVE; WE MISSED CHANGING FREQS AT THE PRESCRIBED POINT. I NOTICED A CONFLICT AHEAD AND ASKED THE FO TO QUESTION THE CTLR. WE WERE PROMPTLY TOLD WE SHOULD BE ON THE OTHER GND FREQ. WITH THIS OBVIOUS WEAKNESS IN COM PROCS AND A PRESCRIBED TAXI RTE; THE GND CTLRS RTED AN ACR MLG AGAINST OUR TAXI RTE NEAR THE FREQ CHANGEOVER POINT. AUTOMATIC FREQ CHANGES SHOULD NOT BE PART OF THE STANDARD TAXI. WHEN COM IS MOST CRITICAL; THIS CAN EASILY FAIL. THE CLRNC LIMIT SHOULD PERHAPS BE THE CHANGEOVER POINT; OR THE DIRECTIONS TO CHANGE FREQ BE GIVEN NEARING THE CHANGEOVER POINT. SIGNS SHOULD ALSO BE USED TO REMIND OF FREQ CHANGE POINTS. GND CTLRS CAN SET THE TONE IN COM AS WELL AS COOPERATION BY SPEAKING TO AIR CREWS AS THOUGH THEY WERE HUMANS TOO. PLTS CAN ALSO HELP BY SPEAKING IN A CIVIL MANNER BUT A PLT SPEAKS TO 1 CTLR; THE CTLR SPEAKS TO ALL THE PLTS. AIRPLANES TAXIING TO THE RAMP SHOULD NOT BE DIRECTED TO TAXI AGAINST TFC WHEN A 'STANDARD TAXI' PROC RTE IS BEING SUED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: STAFF SPECIALIST AT FACILITY STATED THAT THE 'STANDARD TAXI RTE' PROC HAS BEEN IN EFFECT SINCE OCT/1/91 AND ONLY INCLUDES 2 AIRLINES. THERE IS A LOA THAT COVERS OPERATING PROCS AND WHERE TO CHANGE FREQ. THERE IS ALSO A SIGN AT THESE LOCATIONS TO REMIND PLTS. THE RTING IS ONLY FOR RWY 21C AND RWY 3L. ALTHOUGH IT IS A NEW PROC; THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.