WSJ: Pilots Fail to Engage Jet Engines

[Captain Morgan]

wouldn't you notice that one thrust lever was in shutoff when you were about to go into position? it wouldn't feel right.

There is no shutoff position other than idle. There's no detent or anything. It's a smooth linear lever motion all the way up to the thrust set detents.

 

[ex j-41]

After 20 legs in 4 days...deja vu has new meaning.

Every leg blends into eachother and every check seems like it has already been done. I can bet with almost certainty that every pilot here has said the words..."Did we do the before ____ Check?"

 

[ImbracableCrunk]

For the average cockpit crew, he said, new government rules limiting tarmac delays highlight the larger problem of changes that end up "putting a lot more emphasis on things pilots probably shouldn't be worrying about."

Yeah, nice public lobbying effort, IATA guy.

 

[Tarzan]

I am flying with more and more FO's that seem to have the attitude that checklists are for wimps. I can see that if I didn't call for them they would not do them or question me.

For instance "trim and takeoff speeds checked" without even looking at them! I have to constantly tell them to ACTUALLY check, not just verbalize from memory.

Most of these guys have a "I am superpilot" mentality.

But as soon as red lights start to flash, they look like deer in the headlights.

The problem lies with Captains not doing their jobs there as well. Checklists are there for a reason. There are plenty of guys who want to be easy to get along with but I've flown with enough guys who've done everything by the book that were great to fly with. It is too easy to set the expectation early with, "Hey some of stuff doesn't make much sense but we'll do it for the benefit of the CVR. At least if we crash and dying a screaming death, they'll say, 'At least they didn't break sterile.'"

 

[ASA_Aviator]

A good trick is to never set the flaps for takeoff until both engines are running. Not only is this a good way to remind yourself the engine isn't running, but also you'll get the "Takeoff... Flaps" warning and will remind you that you didn't set them for a reason.

The problem with that is you never want your last line of defense to catch an error like that. We have had a couple of attempted takeoffs with zero flaps, and the config flaps was the only reason it was caught.

 

[nwa_contrails]

Ehe ERJ has a hydraulic pump that makes a god awful noise when only one engine is running. What I don't get is didn't the pilots in the back on that ferry flight tell the guys that engine was not started as they were about to take the runway? They were probably already asleep due to 15 hour day.

Wasn't a ferry flight. Was a regularly scheduled flight.

 

[rumrunner300]

TSA vs United as well

Are you fools serious?

If you are really equating one semi-respectable (Eagle) and one completely sub-par (TSA, aka UFS aka BottomFeederService) commuters to AA and UAL, the time has come to put you in your place................. a turboprop from ALO-DBQ-SQI-ORD, maybe some would learn to actually fly in the process.

rr

 

[shroomwell]

Doesn't the master warning and bells go off when the throttles are advanced and only on engine spools up?

 

[Bluestreak]

Really? For real?

You get what you pay for.

How much pay does it take to not land on a taxiway or fly 150 miles past your destination ?

 

[rjacobs]

The two guys in the TSA cockpit were 1) very senior check airman and 2) the director of OPS. One is on "administrative leave" and the other, nobody knows what is going on with him. Both have also supposedly had their certificates suspended. They lied about it and said when they pushed the power up, one engine spooled down, however the FOQA and multiple guys in the back called bull ********************.

 

[Salukipilot4590]

Are you fools serious?

If you are really equating one semi-respectable (Eagle) and one completely sub-par (TSA, aka UFS aka BottomFeederService) commuters to AA and UAL, the time has come to put you in your place................. a turboprop from ALO-DBQ-SQI-ORD, maybe some would learn to actually fly in the process.

rr

Whoa calm down broseph....we're only talking about hull losses here.

Forgetting to turn on an engine...basic...but it's not like pilots haven't forgotten simple things before right?

Forgetting to FLY THE AIRPLANE because a gear light came on
Forgetting to stow the spoilers when GPWS alerts you to a Colombian mountain in front of you.
Running out of gas countless times

All those things have happened....we've just gotta learn from them. Were those pilots 250 hour wonder kids? No. Was at least one of the CAs in the "oops, didn't start an engine" a 250 hour wonder kid? Nope.

...but what do I know...I'm not making sense...I must have never done grueling turboprop flying or must be a 250 hour vonderyouth.

Amidoingitrite?

 

[CX880]

Wasn't a ferry flight. Was a regularly scheduled flight.

Oh. I heard it was a ferry flight. Then, they should have just manned up and said they forgot to turn on the engine. It wasn't really a safety risk. I'm sure they would have just gotten retraining.

 

[CX880]

Are you fools serious?

and one completely sub-par (TSA, aka UFS aka BottomFeederService) commuters to AA and UAL, r

You can't blame TSA for having fugly flight attendants and bad service. Most of them come from a 30mile radius of STL. STL and service do not mix.

 

[HalinTexas]

How much pay does it take to not land on a taxiway or fly 150 miles past your destination ?

Not enough.

 

[deadstick]

The events, which haven't been reported before, ended safely with both regional jets turning off the runway without gaining speed or flying.

View Full Image

Associated Press
An American Eagle turbo-prop in Miami. A pilot for the airline recently didn't start an engine before getting ready to take off. No accident occurred.

....
The first mix-up involved an American Eagle Embraer jet....

I know some people like this guy's reporting, but come ON! Playing on the "nasty prop" mentality. If one was advanced for t/o and the other was secured, the crew would be thinking "Why so much rudder?" or they're looking at a ditch.

One way of reading the first part (for the uninformed) is that they did go down the runway THEN realized "Gee, we only have one engine running. We'd better stop." From the rest of the article, the planes were lined up. advanced the power, and then realized the problem.

I hate the media.