WDB BEGINS TAXIING BEFORE RECEIVING A SALUTE CAUSING DAMAGE TO A TIRE AND THE TOW BAR.

Narrative

TAXI WITHOUT PROPER SALUTE INCIDENT RESULTING; FORTUNATELY; IN ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO A NOSE GEAR TIRE AND A TOW BAR. BACKGND: THE ACR I WORK FOR HAS A VERY STRUCTURED AND EFFECTIVE PROTOCOL FOR PUSHBACK AND RELEASE; WHICH USES SPECIFIC PHRASES AND RESPONSES FOR THIS PROC. IN THIS INSTANCE THE COMS PATTERN BROKE DOWN. THE BREAKDOWN BEGAN DEVELOPING WITH DIFFICULTIES IN THE COMS BTWN THE COCKPIT AND GND PERSONNEL CAUSED BY INTERFERENCE FROM AN FM STATION BEING PICKED UP ON THE INTERPHONE SYS. THIS INTERFERENCE HAS BEEN CHRONIC BUT TRANSIENT AT LAX AND ELIMINATING IT HAS PROVED DIFFICULT. ON THE DAY OF THIS INCIDENT; THE INTERFERENCE DEVELOPED DURING PUSHBACK AND IT WAS NECESSARY TO REPEAT SEVERAL COMS BTWN THE COCKPIT AND THE GND. (THE INTERFERENCE IS MODERATELY LOUD MUSIC INTRODUCED INTO THE INTERPHONE SYS WHENEVER EITHER USER KEYS A MIKE ON THE SYS.) AFTER SEVERAL REPEATED ATTEMPTS; THE CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES FOR SETTING THE BRAKES AND DISCONNECTING THE TOW BAR AND HEAD SET WERE ACCOMPLISHED. AT THIS POINT; THE NEXT PHRASE SPOKEN IN THE PROTOCOL IS 'WE HAVE A SALUTE AND RELEASE FROM GUIDANCE.' IT IS; HOWEVER; SOP IN THE WDB FLEET ONLY FOR THE FO TO ANNOUNCE 'ALL ENGS STARTED' WHEN HE HAS A SATISFACTORY START OF THE LAST ENG. AS PIC OF THIS FLT; I WAS NEWLY QUALIFIED ON THE WDB (110 HRS). THE COMS HAD BEEN DIFFICULT AND SOMEWHAT GARBLED AND I BELIEVE I MISINTERPRETED THE 'ALL ENGS STARTED' CALLOUT FOR THE 'SALUTE AND RELEASE' CALLOUT. THE PROVEN SAFEGUARD AGAINST INCIDENTS OF THIS TYPE IS RIGID ADHERENCE TO THE COMS PROTOCOL. I'D SUGGEST; THEREFORE; THAT EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE THE INTERFERENCES AT LAX SHOULD BE EXPANDED SO WE MAY ELIMINATE THAT DISTR. CONSIDERATION ALSO MIGHT BE GIVEN TO MOVING THE 'ALL ENGS STARTED' CALLOUT ON THE FLEET TO A LATER TIME; PERHAPS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 'PRE-TKOF CHKLIST' WHICH IS ACCOMPLISHED DURING TAXI.