Narrative:

At our company, we contract the services below the wing and push back services from another airline. We have had occasions on the pushback from the gate where they used unsafe speeds during the pushback and would not slow down. On this occasion they were told to stay clear of the movement areas associated with the ramp. We specifically told them to avoid these movement areas of active txwys because that was our clearance from ground. They ignored the instructions and pushed us onto the movement areas anyway. Ground was furious, as well they should be. The pushback crew stopped talking to us! We instructed them to pull us off the taxiway. They pulled us off the movement area but refused to talk with us anymore. We asked numerous times about what was going on. But they would not talk at all! The ground crew in rsw has, at numerous times, pushed at unsafe speeds and disregarded crew instructions. The other airline people have had it in for us for a long time. They are not doing well and don't want us to do well either at our airline. It was impossible, short of setting the brakes, to stop what these people were going to do anyway! When personal politics enter what should be a professional, safe and well practiced thing such as a pushback, all bets are off. Those of us left standing on the side of safety are often left wondering what we could have done. Setting the brakes was not an option. Telling the contract push crew they were in error was not an option. Only by warning ground control and those around us of the actions of the push crew could we ensure the safety of the operation. Kinda sad. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: PIC stated that his company has an in-house reporting system that does bring in the FAA for some form of resolution. He hopes that the company can come to grips with this apparent attitudinal problem with the contract ground crew.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TXWY INCURSION DURING HIGH SPD PUSHBACK PROC USED ON AN A320 BY CONTRACT PERSONNEL FROM ANOTHER AIRLINE AT RSW, FL.

Narrative: AT OUR COMPANY, WE CONTRACT THE SVCS BELOW THE WING AND PUSH BACK SVCS FROM ANOTHER AIRLINE. WE HAVE HAD OCCASIONS ON THE PUSHBACK FROM THE GATE WHERE THEY USED UNSAFE SPDS DURING THE PUSHBACK AND WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN. ON THIS OCCASION THEY WERE TOLD TO STAY CLR OF THE MOVEMENT AREAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RAMP. WE SPECIFICALLY TOLD THEM TO AVOID THESE MOVEMENT AREAS OF ACTIVE TXWYS BECAUSE THAT WAS OUR CLRNC FROM GND. THEY IGNORED THE INSTRUCTIONS AND PUSHED US ONTO THE MOVEMENT AREAS ANYWAY. GND WAS FURIOUS, AS WELL THEY SHOULD BE. THE PUSHBACK CREW STOPPED TALKING TO US! WE INSTRUCTED THEM TO PULL US OFF THE TXWY. THEY PULLED US OFF THE MOVEMENT AREA BUT REFUSED TO TALK WITH US ANYMORE. WE ASKED NUMEROUS TIMES ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. BUT THEY WOULD NOT TALK AT ALL! THE GND CREW IN RSW HAS, AT NUMEROUS TIMES, PUSHED AT UNSAFE SPDS AND DISREGARDED CREW INSTRUCTIONS. THE OTHER AIRLINE PEOPLE HAVE HAD IT IN FOR US FOR A LONG TIME. THEY ARE NOT DOING WELL AND DON'T WANT US TO DO WELL EITHER AT OUR AIRLINE. IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE, SHORT OF SETTING THE BRAKES, TO STOP WHAT THESE PEOPLE WERE GOING TO DO ANYWAY! WHEN PERSONAL POLITICS ENTER WHAT SHOULD BE A PROFESSIONAL, SAFE AND WELL PRACTICED THING SUCH AS A PUSHBACK, ALL BETS ARE OFF. THOSE OF US LEFT STANDING ON THE SIDE OF SAFETY ARE OFTEN LEFT WONDERING WHAT WE COULD HAVE DONE. SETTING THE BRAKES WAS NOT AN OPTION. TELLING THE CONTRACT PUSH CREW THEY WERE IN ERROR WAS NOT AN OPTION. ONLY BY WARNING GND CTL AND THOSE AROUND US OF THE ACTIONS OF THE PUSH CREW COULD WE ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE OP. KINDA SAD. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: PIC STATED THAT HIS COMPANY HAS AN IN-HOUSE RPTING SYS THAT DOES BRING IN THE FAA FOR SOME FORM OF RESOLUTION. HE HOPES THAT THE COMPANY CAN COME TO GRIPS WITH THIS APPARENT ATTITUDINAL PROB WITH THE CONTRACT GND CREW.

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.