A SFO ACR PUSH BACK CREW DID NOT MAINTAIN COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE CAPT DURING PUSH BACK AFTER BEING TOLD TO REMAIN CLEAR OF TXWY.

Date: 2008-10 · Aircraft: B767-300 and 300 ER · Phase: taxi

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|ground-incursion-taxiway

Synopsis

A SFO ACR PUSH BACK CREW DID NOT MAINTAIN COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE CAPT DURING PUSH BACK AFTER BEING TOLD TO REMAIN CLEAR OF TXWY.

Narrative

READY FOR PUSHBACK AT SFO GATE. THE TUG DRIVER CHKED IN AND INFORMED US HE WAS READY. I REPLIED WE WOULD CALL GND FOR CLRNC; AS IT IS NECESSARY TO PUSH OUT OF OUR ALLEY AND ONTO TXWY A. GND CLRED US TO PUSH INTO THE ALLEY; BUT HOLD SHORT OF TXWY A. I HAD TO SOUND A GND HORN TO GET THE TUG DRIVER'S ATTN; TO RELAY THE INSTRUCTIONS. HE BEGAN THE PUSH. THE TUG ONLY PUSHED US OUT OF THE GATE WHICH IS FAR FROM TXWY A; SO AGAIN I HAD TO SOUND A HORN TO GET HIS DIRECTION AND REPEATED TO HIM TO PUSH BACK; BUT HOLD SHORT OF TXWY A. I ALSO ASKED HIM WHY I HAD TO SOUND THE HORN EVERY TIME I NEEDED TO SPEAK TO HIM; AND HE BLAMED HIS HEADSET; WHICH MADE NO SENSE AS WE COULD TALK EVERY TIME I SOUNDED THE HORN. AS WE PUSHED TOWARDS TXWY A; I SENSED HE WAS GOING TO NOW PUSH US ONTO TXWY A; SO I CALLED HIM; BUT THIS TIME NOTHING GOT HIS ATTN: NOT THE HEADSET; NOR THE GND HORN; NOT EVEN ALL THE LIGHTS ON A B767. IT WAS DAYTIME; BUT THE LNDG LIGHTS ON THE NOSE ARE VERY BRIGHT AND HE WAS EYE LEVEL AND LOOKING RIGHT AT THEM. FINALLY; I GOT A WING WALKER'S ATTN AND HE GOT THE DRIVER TO STOP. IN THE MEANWHILE; I SAW THAT NO ACFT WERE APCHING ON TXWY A; SO I NEVER FELT THE JET WAS IN DANGER AND DID NOT TAKE MORE AGGRESSIVE ACTION THAT MAY HAVE DAMAGED THE NOSE GEAR; TOW BAR; AND VERY IMPORTANTLY; GND PERSONNEL. NATURALLY; GND CTL WAS A LITTLE BUSY AND IT TOOK A MOMENT TO GET A CALL TO THEM. BY NOW WE WERE PULLING BACK INTO THE ALLEYWAY; AND GND CLRED US ONTO TXWY A. THE PUSHBACK THEN PROCEEDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. I DON'T KNOW IF THE TUG DRIVER'S HEADSET WAS FAULTY; BUT MORE BELIEVE HE WAS NOT PROPERLY TRAINED TO KEEP IT SECURELY ON HIS EARS AND TO RESPOND TO VOICE; AND LIGHTS. I DID CALL ACR OPS AND RPT THE BEHAVIOR.

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