From the 737 Flight Crew Training Manual....
.... 'Pushbacks present a serious hazard to ground personnel. The headset person, who is walking in the vicinity of the nose wheel, is usually the person injured or killed in the majority of the accidents.....Note: Pushback is normally accomplished with all hydraulic systems pressurized and the nose wheel steering locked out.'
In my experience...while the pin offers protection against the tow bar swinging and injuring a person during push back, it is all happening beneath the airplane and not in view of the skipper. While the bar is being disconnected and the pin is being removed, the crew are not in control and therefore having the A system off gives added protection to prevent an accident.
Your thoughts!!
Last edited by Global Pilot; 9th February 2005 at 08:13.