CHKLISTS USE INCOMPATIBLE WITH ACFT EQUIP OPERATING PROCS.

Narrative

ON DEC/XX/93; OUR AIRLINES INSTITUTED NEW CHKLISTS FOR ALL ACFT; WHICH CONSIST OF WDB'S; LGT'S; AND MLG'S. THE REASONS FOR THIS DRASTIC REWRITING OF CHKLISTS ARE: 1) TO EXPEDITE TAXI FROM THE GATE AREA BY ELIMINATING AN AFTER START CHKLIST (WHICH IS ACCOMPLISHED WHILE STOPPED) AND PLACING THESE ITEMS ON A BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST (WHICH IS ACCOMPLISHED WHILE MOVING). 2) TO 'STANDARDIZE' ALL FLEETS IN ORDER TO JUSTIFY FUTURE TRAINING PROGRAM REDUCTIONS. THE RESULT HAS BEEN A DISRUPTION OF PROVEN FLOW PATTERNS AND ELIMINATION OF CRITICAL CHKLIST ITEMS IN THE MLG FLT MANUAL; PERFORMANCE AND PROCS; REVISION #52; PAGE N18; THE 'ENG START AFTER PUSHBACK' DIALOGUE BTWN THE GND AND THE CAPT IS IN ERROR. THE GND IS GIVING THE 'CLRED TO START ENGS' SIGNAL PRIOR TO TOW BAR REMOVAL. ON THE MLG THIS CAN CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE AND INJURY; BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF PRESSURIZING THE 'A' HYD SYS; WHICH PWRS THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING. THIS COULD CAUSE THE NOSE GEAR TO TURN THE TOW BAR. ALTHOUGH ALL ACR MLG PLTS ARE AWARE OF THIS; GND PERSONNEL ARE NOT; AND ARE CLRING ALL ACFT TO START ENGS ON PUSHBACK. ACR IS ATTEMPTING TO 'FORCE-FEED' STANDARDIZATION; AND IS USING THE NASA STUDY OF MAY 1990 TO JUSTIFY IT. IT APPEARS THAT THEY TOOK THE STUDY OUT OF CONTEXT AND TOOK LIBERTY WITH THE FINDINGS AS JUSTIFICATION TO RADICALLY CHANGE ALL PROCS. HISTORICALLY; CHKLISTS ARE WRITTEN IN SOMEBODY'S BLOOD (SOMEBODY WAS KILLED USING THE OLD; OR NO PROC). THESE CHKLISTS WERE WRITTEN IN CATSUP; MUSTARD; AND MAYONNAISE AROUND THE CAFETERIA LUNCH TABLE.