AFTER AN EXTERNAL AIR ASSISTED START; WITH AN INOP APU; A B757-200'S ENG INGESTED AN AIR HOSE AS THEY WERE BEING DISCONNECTED; INJURING A RAMP PERSON.

Narrative

THIS ACFT NEVER LEFT THE GATE. MAJOR DAMAGE OCCURRED TO THE L ENG SHORTLY AFTER STARTING ENGS AT THE GATE (APU WAS INOP). PNEUMATIC AIR; EXTERNAL ELECTRICAL PWR AND; APPARENTLY; PRECONDITIONED AIR WERE ALL ATTACHED DURING START. WHILE ALL CORDS AND HOSES WERE BEING DISCONNECTED AFTER START; THE PRECONDITIONED AIR HOSE WAS INGESTED INTO THE L ENG. THE FIRST INDICATION IN THE COCKPIT WAS A NOTICEABLE VIBRATION IN THE AIRFRAME. WE WERE LOOKING AT ENG INSTS TO TRY TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE WHEN A GND MAN SIGNALED TO SHUT DOWN THE L ENG. WE UNDERSTOOD THAT A FIRE OR TORCHING HAD OCCURRED. I SHUT DOWN THE L ENG AT THAT TIME; ASKED FOR EXTERNAL PWR TO BE RESTORED; AND THEN SHUT DOWN THE R ENG. MY FO SIMULTANEOUSLY CALLED FOR FIRE TRUCKS TO RESPOND. I MADE THE APPROPRIATE PA'S AND CALLS TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS; AND WE COMPLETED THE PARKING CHKLIST. BY THIS TIME THE FIRE DEPT HAD ARRIVED. THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO; HOWEVER; AS THERE WAS NO FIRE AFTER THE BRIEF TORCHING UPON INGESTION. JUST BEFORE START A GND MAN HAD ASKED TO DISCONNECT SOMETHING. HOWEVER; HIS SPEECH AND THE NOISE LEVEL WERE SUCH THAT I FAILED TO UNDERSTAND HIS QUESTION. I STILL DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HIM WHEN I ASKED HIM TO REPEAT. I THEN SAID THAT HE SHOULD LEAVE AIR AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTED AS OUR APU WAS INOP; AND WE WOULD; THEREFORE; BE STARTING AT THE GATE. I DID NOT SPECIFY PNEUMATIC OR PCA AIR; JUST 'AIR' AS I RECALL IT. ONE GND MAN WAS INJURED WHEN THE HOSE HIT HIM IN THE ARM DURING THIS EVENT; I WAS INFORMED. USUALLY PCA IS REMOVED JUST BEFORE DEP BY GND PERSONNEL WITHOUT COORD WITH THE COCKPIT. I FIND NOTHING IN OUR FLT MANUAL THAT ADDRESSES WHEN PCA SHOULD BE REMOVED. I HAVE ALWAYS ASSUMED PROCS REGARDING IT WERE THE PURVIEW OF THE GND CREW. I THINK THAT IT WOULD BE PRUDENT TO ASSURE THAT PCA IS ALWAYS REMOVED BEFORE STARTING ANY ENG AT THE GATE. IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO TALK TO THE GND MAN TO DETERMINE WHICH ENG TO START AT THE GATE RATHER THAN ALWAYS STARTING THE L ONE FIRST. JUST STARTING 1 ENG AT THE GATE AND THEN THE OTHER ON PUSHBACK WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ENOUGH TO PREVENT THIS ACCIDENT UNLESS IT WAS THE R ONE THAT WAS STARTED FIRST.