Originally Posted by
RAT 5
IMHO the debate is not focused correctly. It is concentrating on the merits of if and how to back up a B757. Perhaps we should be discussing why it was ever contemplated in the first case when there was a perfectly simpler & safer solution: use the turning circle. There is only one person who can tell us why not.
I am not an airline pilot (just an interested ppl holder) but from what I have seen and read it looks to me as though the pilot started to turn into the taxiway and only then realised that due to the angle of the taxiway they were not going to make it. At that point the option of using the turning circle was not available, the only options would be to reverse or shut down and call for a tug.