Originally Posted by
mustafagander
Pretty shabby operation as I see it.
I know nothing about Airbus but the Boeings with which I am familiar have a Before Start checklist item "Gear Pins and Pitot Covers....Removed". That ought to jog your memory about whether you're SURE that you saw them removed.
Page 7 of the report notes:
"At 2312 the FO called for the Before start procedure. The captain (as PM) commenced the check by stating a phrase captured on the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) that sounded like ‘gear pitot covers’ but could also have been ‘gear pins and covers’. The FO immediately responded with ‘removed’."
See also p.36 which quotes QRH and FCOM procedures