CRJ200 FO WAS ORDERED TO EXIT ACFT ON TAXIWAY TO VISUALLY CHECK FLAPS AFTER AN ALTERNATE FLAP SETTING WAS MADE.

Date: 2007-06 · Aircraft: Regional Jet 200 ER/LR (CRJ200) · Phase: taxi

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-other-unknown|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

CRJ200 FO WAS ORDERED TO EXIT ACFT ON TAXIWAY TO VISUALLY CHECK FLAPS AFTER AN ALTERNATE FLAP SETTING WAS MADE.

Narrative

CAPT REQUESTS AND DIRECTS FO TO CONDUCT AN EXTERNAL VISUAL CHK OF FLAP SETTINGS DURING TAXI-OUT PHASE OF FLT OPS ON ACTIVE TXWY AT ORD ARPT. I; THE FO; CHALLENGE THE DECISION AND MAKE MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO PERSUADE PIC TO USE DIFFERENT RWY OR CONTACT GND CTL TO LET THEM KNOW OF OUR INTENTIONS WITH NO POSITIVE RESULT. INITIALLY; I; THE FO; CHALLENGE THE DECISION TO EXIT ACFT ON AN ACTIVE TXWY WITH ENGS RUNNING AT IDLE; BUT CAPT CITES FOR HIS JUDGEMENT CALL THE COMPANY FLT MANUAL WHICH STATES; 'TKOF FLAPS MUST BE SET PRIOR TO DEP AND AN EXTERNAL VISUAL CHK MUST BE ACCOMPLISHED TO DETECT TO ANY TWISTING; SKEWING; OR ABNORMAL DEFORMATION OF THE FLAPS. USE THE INFO PROVIDED IN THE NORMAL/ABNORMAL OUTBOARD FLAP CONFIGN AND OUTBOARD FLAPS GO/NO-GO CRITERIA FIGURES LOCATED IN THIS SECTION. IF ANY ADDITIONAL CHANGE IS NECESSARY; PRIOR TO TKOF; ACCOMPLISH THE VISUAL CHK SPECIFIED BY THE PRECEDING FIGURES...' THIS INTERP OF A COMPANY FLT MANUAL PUTS A FO IN A PRECARIOUS POS. FO'S WANT TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS OF PIC AND PROVIDE AN IDEAL CRM ENVIRONMENT AS THEY WORK AS A 'TEAM;' HOWEVER; AT THE SAME TIME COMMON SENSE IS ABSENT IN THIS KIND OF DECISION MAKING. THIS KIND OF COMPANY FLT MANUAL INTERP IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND SECURITY RISK. THANKFULLY; NO INCIDENTS OR ACCIDENTS RESULTED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE REPORTER STATED THAT THE CAPT CITED THE COMPANY FLT MANUAL WHICH STATES THAT A VISUAL CHECK OF TKOF FLAPS IS REQUIRED IF A CHANGE IN FLAP POSITION IS MADE. THE CHECK IS NORMALLY ACCOMPLISHED DURING PREFLIGHT WITH TKOF FLAPS PRESET; BUT IF A RWY CHANGE NECESSITATES ANOTHER FLAP SETTING; THIS APPARENTLY MANDATES AN 'EXTERNAL VISUAL CHECK.' APPARENTLY SOME CAPTS FOR THIS CARRIER INTERPRET THIS TO MEAN THAT THE FO MUST EXIT THE ACFT FOR THIS CHECK.

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