MD82 FO RPTS HE FELT RUSHED DURING TAXI OUT AT ATL. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CATCH UP; THE CAPT TAXIED VIA FOX VERSUS ECHO TXWY.
Synopsis
MD82 FO RPTS HE FELT RUSHED DURING TAXI OUT AT ATL. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CATCH UP; THE CAPT TAXIED VIA FOX VERSUS ECHO TXWY.
Narrative
AFTER OUR PUSH BACK FROM THE GATE; THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE CONGESTION IN THE RAMP AREA DURING THE BEGINNING OF OUR TAXI WHICH REQUIRED BOTH OF US TO BE HEADS OUTSIDE THE COCKPIT TO MANEUVER AROUND THE OTHER RAMP TFC. THIS PREVENTED ME FROM COMPLETING SOME OF THE PRE-TKOF PREPARATIONS (WT AND BALANCE CLOSE-OUT AND SOME OF THE TAXI CHKLIST). AFTER CLRING THE RAMP TFC; IT WAS A VERY SHORT TAXI TO THE TOP OF THE RAMP WHERE I WAS REQUIRED TO CONTACT GND CTL FOR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. THE TAXI DISTANCE FROM THE TOP OF THE RAMP TO RWY 8R IS VERY SHORT. AT THIS POINT IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THINGS WERE BEGINNING TO BECOME RUSHED. THE CAPT HOWEVER DID NOT COMPENSATE BY SLOWING DOWN THE TAXI SPD. AT THE TOP OF THE RAMP I CONTACTED GND CTL FOR TAXI CLRNC. WE WERE TOLD TO TAXI VIA TXWY E TO RWY 8R. I BELIEVED THE CAPT UNDERSTOOD WHERE HE WAS AND WHICH TXWY WE WERE TO TAXI ONTO; SINCE HE VERBALLY AFFIRMED TXWY E TO RWY 8R. I THEN LOOKED DOWN INTO THE COCKPIT TO RETRIEVE THE WT AND BALANCE CLOSE-OUT. WHEN I LOOKED BACK UP; WE WERE RAPIDLY TAXIING DOWN TXWY F. I IMMEDIATELY SAID TO THE CAPT THAT WE WERE ON TXWY F. HE SAID NO WE'RE ON TXWY E. GND CTL THEN CALLED US AND SAID THAT WE HAD TURNED ON TXWY F. LUCKILY; AN INBND TAXIING B767 ON TXWY F STOPPED SHORT OF TXWY H SO WE STILL HAD ACCESS TO RWY 8R. OTHERWISE WE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE HAD TO CALL FOR A TUG TO BACK US OFF OF THE TXWY. THIS EVENT ILLUSTRATED THE EFFECTS OF RUSHING AS WELL AS PERFORMING REQUIRED TASKS FOR TKOF (RETRIEVING ACARS PRINTOUTS; SETTING CG; SETTING ZFW; ETC) DURING TAXI THAT PREVENT BOTH PLTS FROM EFFECTIVELY MONITORING THE TAXI. HOWEVER; IF THE REQUIRED TASKS WERE COMPLETED AT THE GATE PRIOR TO PUSH BACK THAT WOULD DELAY THE DEP AND WOULD IMPACT THE DOT RATINGS. THUS; IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THE PROCS WILL CHANGE AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE ACCOMPLISHED DURING TAXI OUT. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO COCKPIT DISTRACTIONS DURING TAXI AND MAY EVEN BE CONTRIBUTORY TO SOME RWY INCURSION INCIDENTS.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.