A PLT WANTS THE ASRS TO KNOW HIS FEELINGS ABOUT THE 'STANDARDIZED' CHKLISTS THAT HIS ACR HAS INSTITUTED.

Date: 1994-02 · Aircraft: B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-less-severe|other-unspecified

Synopsis

A PLT WANTS THE ASRS TO KNOW HIS FEELINGS ABOUT THE 'STANDARDIZED' CHKLISTS THAT HIS ACR HAS INSTITUTED.

Narrative

ON DEC/FRI/93; A UNITED STATES AIRLINE INSTITUTED NEW CHKLISTS FOR ALL ACFT; WHICH CONSIST OF B-747-400; B-747; DC-10; B-767; B-757; B-737-300; B-737-200; AND A-320 (B- 727 HAS JUST BEEN IMPLEMENTED). THE NASA STUDY OF MAY/90 HAS BEEN CONTINUALLY REFED AS BEING THE CATALYST/JUSTIFICATION FOR THIS CHANGE. WHAT HAS RESULTED IS 'FORCE-FIT STANDARDIZATION' WHICH HAS CREATED FLAWED CHKLISTS IN ALL FLEETS. THE AUTHORS OF THOSE CHKLISTS HAVE QUOTED 'STANDARDIZATION' AND 'SAFETY' AS RATIONALE FOR THIS DRAMATIC CHANGE; BUT A RECENT ARTICLE IN THE AIRLINE'S B-747-100/200 MAGAZINE HAS AN ARTICLE THAT STATES THAT 'MOST FEEDBACK HAS BEEN POSITIVE' (THE 747 HAS A 3-MAN CREW). LATER IN THE ARTICLE; IT STATES 'ACR'S OVERALL TAXI TIMES DURING JAN/94 HAVE DECREASED BY 42 SECONDS. ACR'S GOAL IS MERELY TO DECREASE OVERALL FLEET AVERAGE TAXI TIMES BY 2 MINS. WE ARE ALMOST HALFWAY THERE! CERTAINLY THE DELETION OF BEFORE TAXI CHKLIST IN BOTH THE B-747-400 AND B-737 FLEETS HAS PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE.' IT IS QUITE EVIDENT THAT THIS NEW CHKLIST; PARTICULARLY ON 2-MAN CREW AIRPLANES; IS TO GET AIRPLANES MOVING; READY OR NOT. PERFORMING CHKLIST ITEMS WHILE MOVING IS NOT AS SAFE AS DOING THEM WHILE PARKED. ALTHOUGH MANY EXPERIENCED PLTS WILL ACCOMPLISH THE CHKLIST WHILE PARKED; NEWER PLTS FEEL THAT THEY MUST DO IT WHILE MOVING BECAUSE; 'THE COMPANY WANTS IT.' I SEE AN ENORMOUS SAFETY PROB EVOLVING; WITH THE COMPANY-IMPOSED 'HURRY-UP MANDATE' CONTRIBUTING TO TXWY/RWY INCURSIONS AND POSSIBLE COLLISION WITH GND VEHICLES AND OTHER ACFT. THIS ILL ADVISED PROJECT HAS SERIOUSLY DEGRADED SAFETY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 262901: A UNITED STATES AIRLINE HAS INCORPORATED NEW CHKLISTS IN ALL ACFT FLEETS. A TASK FORCE HAS ATTEMPTED TO 'HOMOGENIZE' CHKLISTS TO MINIMIZE DIFFERENCES BTWN ACFT AND TO SUBSEQUENTLY REDUCE TRAINING BY STATING THAT 'ALL ACFT ARE ALIKE.' IN THE LAST 2 MONTHS; NUMEROUS RPTS HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED TO ACR CONCERNING PROBS WITH THE CHKLISTS. MANY CREWS ARE IMPROVISING WITH THE CHKLIST BECAUSE THEY CONSIDER IT TO BE UNSAFE (REQUIRES DOING TOO MUCH WHILE MOVING AND OMITS CRITICAL ITEMS/CHKS). TO DATE; THE 'HIERARCHY' THAT DEVISED THESE CHKLISTS HAS IGNORED INPUT AND HAS ATTEMPTED TO STIFLE CRITICISM. THEY STATE THAT THEIR PROJECT WAS WELL RESEARCHED AND TESTED AND THAT CREWS ARE OBLIGATED TO 'OBEY.' HOWEVER; NO LINE PLT INPUT WAS SOLICITED NOR ACCEPTED DURING THE FORMATION/IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS PROJECT. EVEN PLTS INVOLVED WITH SAFETY/TRAINING COMMITTEES WERE IGNORED. I FEEL THAT THE ATTITUDE OF THOSE WHO DEVISE THESE PROJECTS IN ORDER TO BUILD THEIR OWN EMPIRE ARE SERIOUSLY DEGRADING SAFETY IN THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY.

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