Plastic bag on main gear -- tell them or no?

ZapBrannigan

ZapBrannigan

If it ain’t a Boeing, I’m not going. No choice.
Ok I feel like an idiot.

Taxiing out this evening at a large commercial airport we pulled up behind an E145.

It was very windy with FOD blowing all over the airport. A large plastic bag blew across the taxiway and lodged itself in the left main gear of the E145. He continued to taxi and after a few moments it became apparent that it was not going to blow off.

We talked about whether or not to say anything about it and whether it would cause any damage if it hung on during gear retraction etc.

I figured, "well, they get paid by the hour anyway -- better safe than sorry". So we keyed up and mentioned it. The flight crew of the 145 responded, "Well I guess it'll just blow off - it's just a bag".

Well needless to say I felt like a heel. In retrospect I suppose I shouldn't have said anything. We thought we were being helpful and apparently just annoyed them.

Your thoughts?
 
ZapBrannigan said:
Well needless to say I felt like a heel. In retrospect I suppose I shouldn't have said anything. We thought we were being helpful and apparently just annoyed them.
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I disagree. I've heard of more than one airplane having gear trouble, being unable to be fully retracted, or worse, unable to extend, because of things much simpler than a bag. It's like the purpose of an SIC...If you see something, let the captain know about it. He needs to know all of the information he can to complete a flight safely. If they chose not to do anything about it, that's their problem.
 
I would rather tell them and have them not do anything about it then let them have an issue in the air that I could have addressed to them on the ground.
 
I think they were foolish for not checking it out. If another pilot mentions something to me about the airplane as I taxi out, Im going to check it out
 
I would have told them. Then as Captain I would ask an operations vehicle to remove the FOD if it wasn't going away.

We have had a it happen a few times on the megawhacker 'the spoilers are up' I make sure to thank them and tell them it is the right position and will come down on the roll. It is about CRM, which goes beyond who is in your airplane.
 
I would have told them. I've never worked on an E145, but on any airliner I've seen there was plenty of things in the wheelwell that could get snagged and damaged. You never know, some small thing like this could be that first link the accident chain.
 
you did the right thing by telling them , the least thing that could happen is a fire on landing , with the heat coming off the brakes , im sure the bag will ignite like gasoline , and who know where that could lead
good job bro
 
You certainly made the right call. It's their call on how they want to deal with it, but it certainly needed to be brought to their attention.
 
I guess the better question is: How would you feel if you did not say anything and then something bad happened? You did the right thing.
 
I'd have done the same.

Once you open your mouth and alert them to the issue, it is up to them on how to handle it - if they wish.

Now, if in some weird fashion the engine fire aural sounds are the same in the Lears as they are in the E145 you could have tested the aural sounds with a hot mic just as they passed the GS antenna . . . :sarcasm:
 
surreal1221 said:
Now, if in some weird fashion the engine fire aural sounds are the same in the Lears as they are in the E145 you could have tested the aural sounds with a hot mic just as they passed the GS antenna . . . :sarcasm:
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That's awesome.

Zap, you did the right thing.
 
ZapBrannigan said:
Ok I feel like an idiot.
We thought we were being helpful and apparently just annoyed them.

Your thoughts?
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Zap,

You did the right thing. Their reaction to the info you gave them is THEIR problem.

I lost track of the number of times I've seen stuff on other airplanes and told the crew...open access panels, leaks, door handles not flush, brake smoke, etc. Even told an F100 crew their flaps weren't extended as they neared #1 position only to have them explain they were making a no-flap takeoff. They were not the least bit "annoyed".

The one I regret was when, as a 727 FE, I saw another 727 on T/O roll in BOS...with the aft airstair full down. By the time I could poke the FO in the shoulder and tell him to tell THEM, they were past V1 ...and were shortly thereafter negotiating a return to BOS.

Ya'll be careful out there and watch out for each other. :D
 
I agree. You did the right thing, Zap.

You spoke up in the interest of safety. That the crew in the 145 chose to deal with the issue passively is on them, not you.
 
I think reaction to your initial gut feelings are usually the best choice- let them sort it out!
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