1999-07 · NASA ASRS report 442102
MD80 CREW DID NOT COORDINATE PWRBACK WITH COMPANY RAMP CTL.
I (THE FO) REQUESTED THE PWR BACK FROM RAMP. RAMP'S RESPONSE WAS NOT TO 'HOLD' THE PWR BACK; RATHER WE WERE TOLD TO ADVISE OUR GND CREW 'TAIL S' ON THE PWR BACK. I ACKNOWLEDGED TAIL S PWR BACK AND THEN TOLD RAMP WERE NOT IN CONTACT WITH OUR RAMPERS. HE HAD A BAD HEADSET. RAMP CTL AGAIN SAID TO BE SURE TO TELL OUR GND CREW 'TAIL S.' I ACKNOWLEDGED. THE CAPT OPENED HIS WINDOW AND TOLD OUR GUIDEMAN. HE GAVE US THE THUMBS UP AND MOTIONED TO THE WING GUIDEMEN FOR THE PWRBACK. WE PWR-BACKED TAIL S UNEVENTFULLY. I CALLED FOR TAXI AND WAS ADVISED BY RAMP WE WERE 'NOT' CLRED FOR PWRBACK BUT SINCE WE HAD; CLRED TO TAXI. CLRLY SOME MISUNDERSTOOD COM. THERE WAS NO ACFT ON EITHER SIDE OF US 'GATES XX AND XY PLUS WE HAD 3 EXCELLENT GUIDEMEN GIVING US PWRBACK INSTRUCTIONS AND THE CLOSEST ACFT TO US WAS ON XZ SO I THINK WE CREATED NO CONFLICT. RAMP CTL CONCURRED. OBVIOUSLY SOME CONFUSION AND AMBIGUITY BTWN WHAT WAS SAID AND WHAT WAS ACKNOWLEDGED AND HEARD CONCERNING THE PWRBACK SEQUENCE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 442100: GUIDEMEN HAD BAD HEADSET. HE GAVE ME HAND SIGNALS TO PARK BRAKES AND START ENGS. I ASKED FO TO CALL FOR PWRBACK. HE INFORMED ME THAT WE WOULD NEED A TAIL S PWRBACK. I COMMUNICATED THIS VERBALLY TO THE GUIDEMAN THROUGH THE SLIDING WINDOW. I THEN ASKED THE FO IF WE WERE CLRED TO PWRBACK. HE RESPONDED YES. WHEN FO CALLED FOR TAXI AFTER THE PWRBACK; WE WERE INFORMED BY RAMP THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE PWRBACK CLRNC. I WASN'T MONITORING THE INITIAL XMISSION BTWN THE FO AND RAMP; BUT I BELIEVE THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION BTWN INSTRUCTIONS TO BE GIVEN TO THE GUIDEMAN FOR A TAIL S PWRBACK AND CLRNC TO PWRBACK.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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