ACR 'Y' ACCUSED ACR 'X' OF ALLOWING ONE OF ACR Y'S PAX TO COME CLOSE TO A RUNNING ENG ON ACR X.
Synopsis
ACR 'Y' ACCUSED ACR 'X' OF ALLOWING ONE OF ACR Y'S PAX TO COME CLOSE TO A RUNNING ENG ON ACR X.
Narrative
I WAS PIC OF ACR X. SPRINGFIELD RAMP IS EXTREMELY CONGESTED AT THIS HR. THERE WERE 5 ACFT PARKED WITHIN CLOSE PROX (50-80 FT) OF EACH OTHER. MY PAX HAD BOARDED AND THE ACFT HAD BEEN SECURED. HOWEVER; AN ACR 'Y' LTT PARKED IMMEDIATELY TO OUR R (HIS L WINGTIP WAS NO MORE THAT 6 TO 8 FT FROM OURS; ALTHOUGH HIS WAS A HIGH WING; AND OURS LOW); WAS STILL BOARDING. THE ACR Y PAX WERE BEING DIRECTED IN FRONT OF OUR ACFT; AROUND OUR R WING; TO BOARD THE L REAR PAX DOOR OF THE ACR Y WHICH WAS TO THE R AND BEHIND OUR ACR X LTT. AT XA23 LCL TIME; OUR ACR X RAMP AGENT; AFTER VERIFYING THAT NO MORE PAX WERE WANDERING IN FRONT OF OUR ACFT; CLRED US WITH A VISIBLE AND COMPANY APPROVED HAND SIGNAL TO BEGIN ROTATION OF OUR R ENG. THIS SIGNAL WAS CONFIRMED BY A SECOND RAMP AGENT AND MY FO. COMPANY STANDARD PRACTICE REQUIRES THAT; DURING THE START SEQUENCE; BOTH THE FO AND THE CAPT MONITOR THE ENG INSTS; WITH THE FO CALLING OUT ENG START PARAMETERS! WE STARTED BOTH ENGS NORMALLY; COMPLETED OUR AFTER-START CHKLIST; AND FOLLOWED OUR RAMP AGENT'S COMPANY-APPROVED HAND SIGNAL TO EXIT THE RAMP. AS WE TURNED R TO PASS IN FRONT OF THE ACR Y; THE CAPT OF THAT ACFT; CLRLY VISIBLE TO MY FO; PICKED UP HIS HAND MIKE AND ANNOUNCED ON SGF GND FREQ; 'ACR X; YOU BETTER FILE A NASA RPT. I'M GOING TO RPT YOU TO THE FAA.' MY FO REPLIED; 'WHAT ARE TALKING ABOUT?' HE REPLIED; 'A PAX WALKED WITHIN 5 FT OF YOUR R PROP. I'M GOING TO RPT YOU TO THE FAA.' AS STATED; NEITHER OF OUR RAMP AGENTS; MY FO; OR MYSELF; SAW ANYBODY CLOSE TO OUR PROP DURING OR AFTER OUR START SEQUENCE. HOWEVER; ACR Y PERSONNEL; IN A LATER CONVERSATION WITH OUR RAMP AGENTS; ADMITTED THAT THEY HAD SENT OUT AN UNESCORTED STRAGGLER; AFTER OUR R ENG WAS RUNNING. THIS PERSON WALKED UNESCORTED TO THEIR ACFT; AND APPARENTLY PASSED NEAR OUR R WING. QUITE APART FROM THE FACT THAT THIS PERSON'S ALLEGATION IS TOTALLY MISLEADING; I FAIL TO UNDERSTAND HOW HE COULD: 1) SEE PRECISELY WHEN I TURNED MY R PROP (AS IT WAS ALREADY ROTATING DUE TO THE WIND EFFECT); AND 2) SEE; FROM AN ANGLED LINE OF SIGHT MORE THAN 80 FT AWAY THAT A PERSON WALKED 'WITHIN 5 FT OF MY R PROP!' NOTWITHSTANDING MY COMMENTS; OR HIS; THIS PARTICULAR RAMP IS AT CERTAIN TIMES OF THE DAY EXTREMELY CONGESTED; AND DANGEROUS SITS SUCH AS THE ONE ALLEGED HERE DO ARISE; DUE PRIMARILY TO THE HAPHAZARD MANNER IN WHICH TURBOPROP ACFT ARE POSITIONED BY ALL AIRLINE STATION PERSONNEL; EACH CRAMMING FOR A SPOT AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO THE LIMITED NUMBER OF TERMINAL ENTRANCE/EXIT DOORS. THE SIT CAN ONLY BE REMEDIED BY CLOSE COORD BY THE VARIOUS AIRLINES' STATION PERSONNEL IN PARKING THEIR ACFT; AND SUPERVISING THEIR PAX BOARDING PROCS UNTIL THE LAST PERSON HAS BEEN BOARDED! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTING CAPT SAYS THAT HE HAS NOT HEARD FROM THE FAA ON THIS INCIDENT; SO PROBABLY NO RPT WAS FILED. HE ALSO STATES THAT THE RAMP MGMNT OF BOTH CARRIERS HAVE GOTTEN TOGETHER AT SGF TO ATTEMPT TO IRON OUT THIS PROB. HE HAS NOT BEEN BACK TO SGF AT A PEAK TIME TO SEE IF THERE HAVE BEEN SUBSTANTIVE IMPROVEMENTS. A PLT'S UNION REPRESENTATIVE THAT KNOWS THE CAPT OF ACR Y STATED TO THE RPTR THAT CAPT Y IS WIDELY KNOWN FOR BEING 'STRANGE.'
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.