CAPT OF A320 ADVISES PUSHBACK AND TAXI PROCS FOR CERTAIN GATES AT ORD RESULTS IN JET BLAST HAZARDS AND POTENTIAL FOR WING STRIKE TO PARKED ACFT.

Date: 2004-06 · Aircraft: A320

Anomalies: ground-event-encounter-vehicle|ground-event-encounter-person-animal-bird|ground-event-encounter-other-unknown|other-raamp-hazards

Synopsis

CAPT OF A320 ADVISES PUSHBACK AND TAXI PROCS FOR CERTAIN GATES AT ORD RESULTS IN JET BLAST HAZARDS AND POTENTIAL FOR WING STRIKE TO PARKED ACFT.

Narrative

RAMP OPS INVOLVING CERTAIN GATES AT ORD ARE A SAFETY CONCERN FOR ACFT; RAMP PERSONNEL AND EQUIP. BECAUSE OF THE GATES PROX TO TXWY H; ACFT ARE PUSHED BACK FROM THE GATE ONLY FAR ENOUGH TO PREVENT THE TAIL FROM BLOCKING THE TXWY. ACFT PUSHED BACK FROM THESE GATES ARE HAVING THEIR TAILS TURNED 45 DEGS L OR R OF THE GATE LEAD-IN LINE WITH THE ACFT'S NOSE POINTED TOWARDS THE WINGTIP OF THE ACFT PARKED NEXT TO THEM. IN THE PUSHED BACK POS; THE NOSE OF THE ACFT PUSHED BACK IS ONLY 30-40 FT APPROX FROM THE WINGTIP OF THE ACFT PARKED AT THE ADJACENT GATE. THE RAMP SURFACE ALSO SLOPES DOWN TOWARDS THE GATES. IN ORDER TO BEGIN A TAXI AWAY FROM THESE GATES; THE CAPT IS FORCED TO MAKE A HARD IMMEDIATE; MAX EFFORT TURN IN ORDER TO CLR THE WING AND TAIL OF BOTH ACFT; REQUIRING A TURN SOMETIMES WELL IN EXCESS OF 90 DEGS. IN MY OPINION; REQUIRING A MAX EFFORT TURN IN AN EXTREMELY CONFINED SPACE AND ON AN UPHILL RAMP SURFACE; EXPOSES OUR OP TO A POTENTIAL ACCIDENT INVOLVING DAMAGE TO ACFT AND EQUIP; AND INJURY TO RAMP PERSONNEL DUE TO THE HAZARDS OF JET BLAST. THE COMPANY HAS ALREADY DEFINED THESE GATES AS 'JET BLAST HAZARD' GATE AND RESTRICTS THE USE OF THRUST AS WELL AS TURNS AWAY FROM THE GATE. THE OLD RAMP PUSHBACK PROCS INVOLVED CALLING ORD GND CTL AND GETTING A CLRNC TO PUSHBACK ONTO TXWY H. ARE WE SACRIFICING SAFETY HERE IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE INCREASED ARPT CAPACITY AT ORD?

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