Narrative:

When the tractor driver informed me he was ready to push, the first flight attendant was standing at the galley entrance and, with the re-circulating fan and air conditioning noise, I understood her communication to me as being 'everyone is seated.' after we began push back I understood the first flight attendant saying everyone was not seated, so I told the tractor driver people were standing, but not to stop suddenly and risk someone falling. I told him to let it coast slowly to a stop. He began slowing and the airplane gradually reached a speed at which the wheels were barely turning, with no discernable deceleration load. In the process, at that point, the first flight attendant let me know everyone was now seated, and I told the tractor operator to resume push back. We were off the blocks at XX19 local with a wheels up time of XX29, so we had 10 mins to taxi. The first flight attendant called the cockpit during taxi to say she was having trouble with the video tape of the safety demonstration. I monitored the 'PA' switch periodically on taxi out and heard the first flight attendant (ffa) successfully operate the video tape. As we reached the end of the takeoff runway, I heard the video tape end, and we announced 'flight attendants please prepare for takeoff.' our off time was XX30. En route to ord the ffa served a snack to the first officer and made no mention of any problems on taxi out of cle. At ord no mention was made to me of any problems on taxi out of cle when I left the airplane. Approximately 35 mins after arrival at ord the first officer came to me in the terminal at ord with the business card of an FAA aviation safety inspector (operations) from the great lakes regional office. First officer told me he stopped by the cockpit after I left to say he was reporting our push back at cle with passengers standing and also that the flight attendants had not had a chance to make their safety checks at cle. I am not aware of any missed safety checks by the flight attendants, either before the passengers boarded at cle or during a 10 min push back and taxi at cle. The push back initiated at cle with passengers standing was as a result of a mis-communication between the ffa and myself. It is difficult to hear a female voice over the rush of the re-circulating fans and air conditioning in the cockpit of an large transport if she is standing away from the cockpit door toward the galley. To preclude this occurring again, I plan to ask the ffa to actually put her head inside the door to relay the message that all are seated, or else give me a thumbs up signal, if she is aft of the cockpit entrance.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR STARTS PUSH BACK WITH FLT ATTENDANT AND PAX STANDING. FAA INSPECTOR ON BOARD.

Narrative: WHEN THE TRACTOR DRIVER INFORMED ME HE WAS READY TO PUSH, THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT WAS STANDING AT THE GALLEY ENTRANCE AND, WITH THE RE-CIRCULATING FAN AND AIR CONDITIONING NOISE, I UNDERSTOOD HER COM TO ME AS BEING 'EVERYONE IS SEATED.' AFTER WE BEGAN PUSH BACK I UNDERSTOOD THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT SAYING EVERYONE WAS NOT SEATED, SO I TOLD THE TRACTOR DRIVER PEOPLE WERE STANDING, BUT NOT TO STOP SUDDENLY AND RISK SOMEONE FALLING. I TOLD HIM TO LET IT COAST SLOWLY TO A STOP. HE BEGAN SLOWING AND THE AIRPLANE GRADUALLY REACHED A SPD AT WHICH THE WHEELS WERE BARELY TURNING, WITH NO DISCERNABLE DECELERATION LOAD. IN THE PROCESS, AT THAT POINT, THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT LET ME KNOW EVERYONE WAS NOW SEATED, AND I TOLD THE TRACTOR OPERATOR TO RESUME PUSH BACK. WE WERE OFF THE BLOCKS AT XX19 LCL WITH A WHEELS UP TIME OF XX29, SO WE HAD 10 MINS TO TAXI. THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT CALLED THE COCKPIT DURING TAXI TO SAY SHE WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE VIDEO TAPE OF THE SAFETY DEMONSTRATION. I MONITORED THE 'PA' SWITCH PERIODICALLY ON TAXI OUT AND HEARD THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT (FFA) SUCCESSFULLY OPERATE THE VIDEO TAPE. AS WE REACHED THE END OF THE TKOF RWY, I HEARD THE VIDEO TAPE END, AND WE ANNOUNCED 'FLT ATTENDANTS PLEASE PREPARE FOR TKOF.' OUR OFF TIME WAS XX30. ENRTE TO ORD THE FFA SERVED A SNACK TO THE FO AND MADE NO MENTION OF ANY PROBLEMS ON TAXI OUT OF CLE. AT ORD NO MENTION WAS MADE TO ME OF ANY PROBLEMS ON TAXI OUT OF CLE WHEN I LEFT THE AIRPLANE. APPROX 35 MINS AFTER ARR AT ORD THE FO CAME TO ME IN THE TERMINAL AT ORD WITH THE BUSINESS CARD OF AN FAA AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTOR (OPS) FROM THE GREAT LAKES REGIONAL OFFICE. FO TOLD ME HE STOPPED BY THE COCKPIT AFTER I LEFT TO SAY HE WAS RPTING OUR PUSH BACK AT CLE WITH PAXS STANDING AND ALSO THAT THE FLT ATTENDANTS HAD NOT HAD A CHANCE TO MAKE THEIR SAFETY CHKS AT CLE. I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY MISSED SAFETY CHKS BY THE FLT ATTENDANTS, EITHER BEFORE THE PAXS BOARDED AT CLE OR DURING A 10 MIN PUSH BACK AND TAXI AT CLE. THE PUSH BACK INITIATED AT CLE WITH PAXS STANDING WAS AS A RESULT OF A MIS-COM BTWN THE FFA AND MYSELF. IT IS DIFFICULT TO HEAR A FEMALE VOICE OVER THE RUSH OF THE RE-CIRCULATING FANS AND AIR CONDITIONING IN THE COCKPIT OF AN LGT IF SHE IS STANDING AWAY FROM THE COCKPIT DOOR TOWARD THE GALLEY. TO PRECLUDE THIS OCCURRING AGAIN, I PLAN TO ASK THE FFA TO ACTUALLY PUT HER HEAD INSIDE THE DOOR TO RELAY THE MESSAGE THAT ALL ARE SEATED, OR ELSE GIVE ME A THUMBS UP SIGNAL, IF SHE IS AFT OF THE COCKPIT ENTRANCE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.