Narrative:

Old procedures after de-ice had us de-ice; wait one minute; put our packs on. New procedure has us de-ice; taxi clear of de-ice puddles; wait one minute; put our packs on - after start checklist is done on the roll. (I say the checklist is done; 'on the roll'; because this is my personal technique - the airline has offered no guidance on this new procedure that has you break your normal routine). This was the second time I had done this new procedure after having been on the airplane for one year. My intent was to taxi clear of the puddles; wait one minute; do my flow; have the first officer do his flow (packs on); do the after start checklist. The actual rolling/taxing of the aircraft distracted me and put my mind into a mode of - 'my flow was complete'; when actually; it was not. (Normally when we taxi the after start flow and checklists are done - this new procedure makes this impossible). I called for the after start checklist; the first officer noticed that the probe heat was off but not that I forgot to put the generators on-line (the 737 has very dim lights that alert the pilots to generator configuration). The taxi checklist called for 'APU' and when I shut the APU down we lost all electrical power. I quickly reached up and put the engine generators on-line. We checked all our systems; ran the after start checklist again; normal flight after that.what would prevent this is simply move the; 'packs' query from the after start checklist to the taxi checklist. As it stands now this new procedure breaks up the continuity of the flows and checklists. Standardize how this new procedure is to be accomplished so that both pilots are on the same page. In my case I should have had a clearer vision of my game plan technique and briefed the first officer on this technique. I now always check the loads on generators; amps and frequencies. I can see how it would be very easy to forget to put the engine generators on-line; and due to the very dim lights on the 737; not catch this until APU shutdown - as in my case. On ETOPS flights I check APU amps at zero before I shut the APU down - always.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 Captain reports that his company has changed deicing procedures to require the aircraft be taxied away from the de-ice pad before the packs are turned on. The After Start Flow and Checklist were not accomplished at the normal time which led to the Captain forgetting to turn on the engine driven generators. This was discovered when the APU was shut down.

Narrative: Old procedures after de-ice had us de-ice; wait one minute; put our packs on. New procedure has us de-ice; TAXI CLEAR OF DE-ICE PUDDLES; wait one minute; put our packs on - After Start Checklist is done on the roll. (I say the Checklist is done; 'on the roll'; because this is my personal technique - The Airline has offered no guidance on this new procedure that has you break your normal routine). This was the second time I had done this new procedure after having been on the airplane for one year. My intent was to taxi clear of the puddles; wait one minute; do my flow; have the First Officer do his flow (packs on); do the After Start Checklist. The actual rolling/taxing of the aircraft distracted me and put my mind into a mode of - 'my flow was complete'; when actually; it was not. (Normally when we taxi the after start flow and checklists are done - this new procedure makes this impossible). I called for the after start checklist; the First Officer noticed that the Probe Heat was off but not that I forgot to put the generators on-line (the 737 has very dim lights that alert the pilots to generator configuration). The Taxi Checklist called for 'APU' and when I shut the APU down we lost all electrical power. I quickly reached up and put the engine generators on-line. We checked all our systems; ran the After Start checklist again; normal flight after that.What would prevent this is simply move the; 'packs' query from the After Start Checklist to the Taxi Checklist. As it stands now this new procedure breaks up the continuity of the flows and checklists. Standardize how this new procedure is to be accomplished so that both pilots are on the same page. In my case I should have had a clearer vision of my game plan technique and briefed the First Officer on this technique. I now always check the loads on generators; AMPS and Frequencies. I can see how it would be VERY EASY to forget to put the engine generators on-line; and due to the very dim lights on the 737; not catch this until APU shutdown - as in my case. On ETOPS flights I check APU Amps at zero before I shut the APU down - always.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.