Originally Posted by
RobertS975
It is an interesting question, for in all liklihood, the other Comair CRJ on the LEX ramp was the early AM departure for CVG. The fuel and flight time to CVG would be far less than the ATL route. You'd think there would be all kind of issues before the pilot would sign that dispatch paper!
We often got our early morning papers not at the gate but in ops.. so it was possible to get the paperwork and head for the gate that was on the airport info-board. And too, the gate may have even said destination ATL before the agents arrived and corrected it.
That they went to the wrong gate is, IMHO, not a big factor but the time lost in the preflight may be a factor... less time to preflight the correct machine.
And often the events do not happen in a fixed order (ie, maintenance, refueling, catering, etc). We see this frequently as a distraction and when checklist items are missed due to a high task loading.
Also, FWIW, the airplane stopped at the back of my head. I didn't necessarily think "I have 5 people behind me" when I was in the Lear or "I have more than 200 behind me" in the 767 or solo in my Swift "it's only me".
I considered the pax's comfort but when it came/comes to safety, my focus was primarily on getting my fanny up and down safely in one piece and without bending metal or breaking glass. IF I accomplished that goal, the others were taken care of also.
