DO328 DEPARTS IAD WITH BROKEN APU ACCESS DOOR.

Narrative

IT ALL STARTED ON THE EARLY MORNING FLT FROM IAD TO PIT. WE WAITED APPROX 2 HRS TO GET DEICED THAT MORNING. ONCE WE WERE DEICED; WE PROCEEDED BY STATING THE ENGS. WE NORMALLY HAVE AN APU; BUT THIS PARTICULAR ACFT DID NOT HAVE ONE INSTALLED. OUR COMPANY PROC IS TO START BOTH ENGS USING GND PWR AND THEN SIGNAL FOR THE GND PWR TO BE DISCONNECTED. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE DID. THE PROB AROSE WHEN THE GND CREW COULD NOT CLOSE THE COVER TO THE GND PWR CONNECTOR. WE WAITED APPROX 2 MINS FOR THE GND CREW TO CLOSE THE COVER. (NOT SURE IF THEY CLOSED IT.) AFTER THIS 2 MINS THE GND CREW BEGAN TO MARSHALL US OUT OF OUR PARKING. AS WE BEGAN TO MOVE; WE HEARD A PLT IN ANOTHER ACFT TELLING OPS THAT OUR COVER WAS NOT CLOSED. AT THIS POINT WE STOPPED THE ACFT AND WAITED WHILE 3 GND CREW AGAIN TRIED TO CLOSE THE COVER. I INITIALLY THOUGHT THE PROB WAS THE FIRST GND PERSON WHO TRIED TO CLOSE THE COVER. I DID NOT FEEL THAT THERE WAS A PROB WITH THE COVER; BUT ONLY WITH THE PERSON CLOSING IT. DURING THE SECOND ATTEMPT TO CLOSE THE COVER; I NOTICED THE PERSON CLOSING THE COVER SEEMED TO BE A MGR ON THE RAMP. I FELT AT THIS POINT THAT THE COVER WOULD BE CLOSED QUICKLY. IT TOOK THEM A COUPLE OF MINS. MY FIRST CONCERN ARISES OVER THE FACT THAT I DID NOT FEATHER OR SHUT DOWN THE ENG CLOSEST TO THE COVER. AS STATED EARLIER; OUR PROC IS TO START BOTH ENGS AND THEN UNPLUG THE GPU. ALTHOUGH THIS IS THE PROC; THE FACT THAT THERE WAS A PROB CLOSING THE COVER MAY HAVE DICTATED A DIFFERENT PROC. MY SECOND CONCERN IS THE FACT THAT WE FLEW A BROKEN ACFT FROM IAD TO PIT. UPON ARR IN PIT; WE FOUND OUT THAT THE GPU CONNECTOR HAD BEEN DAMAGED. THE GND CREW IN IAD SHOULD HAVE TOLD US. THE ACFT ARRIVED IN IAD THE NIGHT BEFORE; WHICH MEANS THE DAMAGE OCCURRED BTWN THAT TIME AND THE NEXT MORNING. I FEEL THAT THE GND CREW WAS VERY INEXPERIENCED; THEY CAUSED THE PROB AND CONTINUED TO MAKE IT WORSE BY NOT TELLING US. (ALSO; I PROBABLY COULD HAVE TAKEN MORE RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSPECTED A MECHANICAL PROB.) EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THE GND CREW WAS INEXPERIENCED; I SHOULD HAVE LOOKED BEYOND THAT.