Narrative:

I would like the flight department to recognize the following people for a 'great job well done': ground employee X; mechanic Y and the first officer. I was captain; with all doors closed and cabin ready for an on-time departure I called ground employee X for brake release; standby for push back. Ground employee X noticed that number #7 tire was flat on the right main [landing] gear. I asked my first officer if he had checked the tires in which he replied 'yes' and all were normal and properly inflated. I again asked ground employee X for more clarification on the tire condition. He was very adamant that the tire was flat and that it was almost on the rim. I told ground employee X we were calling for maintenance and I will come down and take a look. To my astonishment I saw the tire was flat. As I approached for a closer look; mechanic X approached with a tire gauge. He checked right main landing gear number-8 tire first; which showed approximately 210 psi; then walked over to number-7 tire to check pressure only to have the valve stem break off; the cause of the flat tire. I returned back to the cockpit to coordinate with the first officer and flight attendants. Mechanic X entered the cockpit shortly thereafter. We both agreed that ground employee X saved the day and needs to be recognized for a 'great job well done' by management. He alone saw the flat tire and pointed it out to us while in the push tug. The delay went from bad to worse. What normally takes less than an hour to change a tire took almost five hours to fix. This is due to the jack not fitting under the main gear assembly and not having the proper adaptor to inflate the flat tire to get the jack to fit underneath; only to then have the jack fail; requiring another from the maintenance hangar. First officer took the initiative working with maintenance; running up and down the jet bridge several times; making calls to operations and keeping me informed; helping out with strollers and assisting flight attendants and gate agents with passengers. His 'team effort' made my job a lot easier and was a tremendous help. It is employees like ground employee X; mechanic X and the first officer that make our air carrier a great place to work! Great job guys!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B767-300 Captain and First Officer reported a tire on the right Main Landing Gear was found flat by an alert Ground Employee. Tire condition was not noticeable until after aircraft loading was completed.

Narrative: I would like the Flight Department to recognize the following people for a 'Great Job Well Done': Ground Employee X; Mechanic Y and the First Officer. I was Captain; with all doors closed and cabin ready for an ON-time departure I called Ground Employee X for brake release; standby for push back. Ground Employee X noticed that number #7 tire was flat on the right Main [Landing] Gear. I asked my First Officer if he had checked the tires in which he replied 'Yes' and all were normal and properly inflated. I again asked Ground Employee X for more clarification on the tire condition. He was very adamant that the tire was flat and that it was almost on the rim. I told Ground Employee X we were calling for Maintenance and I will come down and take a look. To my astonishment I saw the tire was flat. As I approached for a closer look; Mechanic X approached with a tire gauge. He checked right Main Landing Gear Number-8 tire first; which showed approximately 210 PSI; then walked over to Number-7 tire to check pressure only to have the valve stem break off; the cause of the flat tire. I returned back to the cockpit to coordinate with the First Officer and flight attendants. Mechanic X entered the cockpit shortly thereafter. We both agreed that Ground Employee X saved the day and needs to be recognized for a 'Great Job Well Done' by Management. He alone saw the flat tire and pointed it out to us while in the push tug. The delay went from bad to worse. What normally takes less than an hour to change a tire took almost five hours to fix. This is due to the jack not fitting under the Main Gear Assembly and not having the proper adaptor to inflate the flat tire to get the jack to fit underneath; only to then have the jack fail; requiring another from the maintenance hangar. First Officer took the initiative working with Maintenance; running up and down the jet bridge several times; making calls to Operations and keeping me informed; helping out with strollers and assisting flight attendants and gate agents with passengers. His 'Team Effort' made my job a lot easier and was a tremendous help. It is employees like Ground Employee X; Mechanic X and the First Officer that make our Air Carrier a great place to work! Great Job Guys!

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.