Narrative:

While pushing back; I discovered the contract pushback crew didn't seem to be following standard pushback procedures. When they were ready for me to set brakes; the person on the interphone said 'set brakes and go to hand signals.' he apparently doesn't understand that it is the cockpit crew that tells the ground crew to go to hand signals; and not the other way around. Had I wanted him to stay on the headset for some unusual reason after setting the brakes; he would have already been disconnected and off the headset before I could have stopped him. When I looked outside to look for a wave off after performing my after start flows; I only saw 2 ground crew members walking away from the plane (they were about to enter the terminal building). Yet there were 3 crew members involved with the pushback but I was only seeing 2 people instead of 3 as I should have seen. I called operations on the radio and asked that they send someone back out to give us a wave-off; and when the guy came back out; he seemed to have a bad attitude about coming back out and he let me know through his body language that he wasn't happy coming back out. It's important for the ground crew to realize that it's very important to follow proper procedures on pushback for their own safety. In this situation here; I was concerned that perhaps the third (missing) ground crew member was perhaps still under or around the plane where he couldn't be seen and for that reason neither one of us wanted to move the jet until all ground crew members were accounted for. Emphasize to the contractor that they need to follow proper procedures all the time for their own safety.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR ADVISES CONTRACT PUSHBACK CREW FAILS TO UTILIZE ACR PUSHBACK PROCS.

Narrative: WHILE PUSHING BACK; I DISCOVERED THE CONTRACT PUSHBACK CREW DIDN'T SEEM TO BE FOLLOWING STANDARD PUSHBACK PROCS. WHEN THEY WERE READY FOR ME TO SET BRAKES; THE PERSON ON THE INTERPHONE SAID 'SET BRAKES AND GO TO HAND SIGNALS.' HE APPARENTLY DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS THE COCKPIT CREW THAT TELLS THE GND CREW TO GO TO HAND SIGNALS; AND NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. HAD I WANTED HIM TO STAY ON THE HEADSET FOR SOME UNUSUAL REASON AFTER SETTING THE BRAKES; HE WOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN DISCONNECTED AND OFF THE HEADSET BEFORE I COULD HAVE STOPPED HIM. WHEN I LOOKED OUTSIDE TO LOOK FOR A WAVE OFF AFTER PERFORMING MY AFTER START FLOWS; I ONLY SAW 2 GND CREW MEMBERS WALKING AWAY FROM THE PLANE (THEY WERE ABOUT TO ENTER THE TERMINAL BUILDING). YET THERE WERE 3 CREW MEMBERS INVOLVED WITH THE PUSHBACK BUT I WAS ONLY SEEING 2 PEOPLE INSTEAD OF 3 AS I SHOULD HAVE SEEN. I CALLED OPS ON THE RADIO AND ASKED THAT THEY SEND SOMEONE BACK OUT TO GIVE US A WAVE-OFF; AND WHEN THE GUY CAME BACK OUT; HE SEEMED TO HAVE A BAD ATTITUDE ABOUT COMING BACK OUT AND HE LET ME KNOW THROUGH HIS BODY LANGUAGE THAT HE WASN'T HAPPY COMING BACK OUT. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE GND CREW TO REALIZE THAT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO FOLLOW PROPER PROCS ON PUSHBACK FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY. IN THIS SITUATION HERE; I WAS CONCERNED THAT PERHAPS THE THIRD (MISSING) GND CREW MEMBER WAS PERHAPS STILL UNDER OR AROUND THE PLANE WHERE HE COULDN'T BE SEEN AND FOR THAT REASON NEITHER ONE OF US WANTED TO MOVE THE JET UNTIL ALL GND CREW MEMBERS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR. EMPHASIZE TO THE CONTRACTOR THAT THEY NEED TO FOLLOW PROPER PROCS ALL THE TIME FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.