AN ACR LTT CAPT FAILED TO SET THE PARKING BRAKE PROPERLY. THE ACFT ROLLED BACK CAUSING ACFT DAMAGE COSMETIC ONLY TO A FAIRING. ERROR ADMITTED.

Date: 1996-07 · Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing · Phase: ground

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-unspecified

Synopsis

AN ACR LTT CAPT FAILED TO SET THE PARKING BRAKE PROPERLY. THE ACFT ROLLED BACK CAUSING ACFT DAMAGE COSMETIC ONLY TO A FAIRING. ERROR ADMITTED.

Narrative

ON PARKING ACFT; PARKING BRAKE WAS NOT FULLY SET (MECHANISM WORKS MUCH LIKE THAT ON A CAR. THERE ARE MULTIPLE 'CLICKS' AS YOU ENGAGE THE PARKING BRAKE. THE MORE CLICKS; THE MORE THE PARKING BRAKE GRABS THE WHEELS). ENGS WERE SHUT DOWN AND I LOOKED DOWN TO GRAB THE CHKLIST TO PERFORM THE SHUTDOWN CHK. WHEN I LOOKED UP; THE ACFT WAS MOVING BACKWARDS! I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED THE FOOT BRAKES (MY FEET HADN'T EVEN LEFT THE PEDALS YET) AND STOPPED THE ACFT. I PROMPTLY RESET THE PARKING BRAKE. THE ACFT HAD MOVED APPROX 10 FT BACK AND UNFORTUNATELY RAN INTO A BAGGAGE CART. THE ACFT SUFFERED ONLY COSMETIC DAMAGE TO A FIBERGLASS FLAP HINGE FAIRING. OUR COMPANY'S MAINT CTL WAS NOTIFIED AS WAS MGMNT. ALL PARTIES AGREED THAT IT WAS NOT NECESSARY TO HAVE THE ACFT INSPECTED. THE CART SUFFERED MINOR DAMAGE AS WELL. I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHY THE PARKING BRAKE WAS NOT FULLY SET. I AM CAREFUL TO SET THE PARKING BRAKE AND PULL IT VERY SLOWLY BECAUSE; IF THE ACFT IS STILL MOVING WHEN IT IS SET; IT WILL LOCK UP THE WHEELS AND STOP THE PLANE VERY ABRUPTLY. I BELIEVE I PROBABLY BROUGHT THE ACFT TO A STOP WITH THE TOE BRAKES AND THEN ASSUMED THAT THE PARKING BRAKE HAD SECURED THE ACFT AFTER PULLING IT OUT ONLY A FEW CLICKS.

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