Narrative:

No departure salute after push out. At the completion of a normal pushback from gate in mia, we were not given a departure salute by the push crew. We had been given clearance to start engines during the push out. At the completion of the left engine start, the ground crew advised, 'park the brakes.' my exact words to him were 'parking brakes parked. You are cleared to disconnect. I'll see you out front.' after the right engine had been started and we were ready for departure, I looked out to see the 3 man push crew driving away in the tug, returning to the gate. At no time did I flash the nose light nor did I receive a proper departure salute or acknowledge it to the ground crew. We called ramp and asked to have the crew return so that I could see the steering bypass pin and receive a departure salute, and that we would be unable to move the aircraft until this was accomplished. After a 10 min delay, a truck approached the left side of the airplane and a ground man stepped out and in an obvious agitated manner threw his hands up in the air asking 'what.' he still did not show me the pin, but he appeared to have the pin in his left hand which was obscured by the truck door. I flashed the nose light several times to indicate our readiness, but still could not get the correct response from the ground man. As I opened my window to try to communicate with him, he gave me the universal 'up yours' signal, got back in the truck and drove away. His position on the ramp was quite visible to passenger on the left side of our aircraft. In addition to a failure to follow simple, well established ramp safety procedures, his subsequent actions, in clear view of passenger were totally unprofessional and uncalled for.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 CREW WAS NOT GIVEN A PROPER GND CREW RELEASE TO TAXI.

Narrative: NO DEP SALUTE AFTER PUSH OUT. AT THE COMPLETION OF A NORMAL PUSHBACK FROM GATE IN MIA, WE WERE NOT GIVEN A DEP SALUTE BY THE PUSH CREW. WE HAD BEEN GIVEN CLRNC TO START ENGS DURING THE PUSH OUT. AT THE COMPLETION OF THE L ENG START, THE GND CREW ADVISED, 'PARK THE BRAKES.' MY EXACT WORDS TO HIM WERE 'PARKING BRAKES PARKED. YOU ARE CLRED TO DISCONNECT. I'LL SEE YOU OUT FRONT.' AFTER THE R ENG HAD BEEN STARTED AND WE WERE READY FOR DEP, I LOOKED OUT TO SEE THE 3 MAN PUSH CREW DRIVING AWAY IN THE TUG, RETURNING TO THE GATE. AT NO TIME DID I FLASH THE NOSE LIGHT NOR DID I RECEIVE A PROPER DEP SALUTE OR ACKNOWLEDGE IT TO THE GND CREW. WE CALLED RAMP AND ASKED TO HAVE THE CREW RETURN SO THAT I COULD SEE THE STEERING BYPASS PIN AND RECEIVE A DEP SALUTE, AND THAT WE WOULD BE UNABLE TO MOVE THE ACFT UNTIL THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED. AFTER A 10 MIN DELAY, A TRUCK APCHED THE L SIDE OF THE AIRPLANE AND A GND MAN STEPPED OUT AND IN AN OBVIOUS AGITATED MANNER THREW HIS HANDS UP IN THE AIR ASKING 'WHAT.' HE STILL DID NOT SHOW ME THE PIN, BUT HE APPEARED TO HAVE THE PIN IN HIS L HAND WHICH WAS OBSCURED BY THE TRUCK DOOR. I FLASHED THE NOSE LIGHT SEVERAL TIMES TO INDICATE OUR READINESS, BUT STILL COULD NOT GET THE CORRECT RESPONSE FROM THE GND MAN. AS I OPENED MY WINDOW TO TRY TO COMMUNICATE WITH HIM, HE GAVE ME THE UNIVERSAL 'UP YOURS' SIGNAL, GOT BACK IN THE TRUCK AND DROVE AWAY. HIS POS ON THE RAMP WAS QUITE VISIBLE TO PAX ON THE L SIDE OF OUR ACFT. IN ADDITION TO A FAILURE TO FOLLOW SIMPLE, WELL ESTABLISHED RAMP SAFETY PROCS, HIS SUBSEQUENT ACTIONS, IN CLR VIEW OF PAX WERE TOTALLY UNPROFESSIONAL AND UNCALLED FOR.

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.