A pilot tried to tell me how to do my job on a turnaround in Phoenix

We were pushing back a 737 at Sky Harbor last summer, and I spotted a small hydraulic leak on the right main gear. I flagged it to the captain, who came out to look. He stood there with his arms crossed and said, 'That's just seepage, it's within limits. We need to go.' I told him I needed to check the service manual and measure the fluid loss over 15 minutes. He actually sighed and said, 'Look, I've been flying these birds for twenty years. I know when it's fine.' I had to hold my ground and say the book says what it says, and we ended up delaying the flight for an hour while I confirmed it was a bad seal. He was fuming in the cockpit the whole time. When does a pilot's experience ever override the maintenance manual? Has a pilot ever pressured you to sign off on something you weren't sure about?

2 comments

2 Comments

wendy_ross7117d agoMost Upvoted

Ever see a pilot try to sign off a cracked windshield?

vera50317d ago

What do you think they use, a tube of super glue and some crossed fingers? I saw a guy once try to call a huge spiderweb crack "within limits" because it wasn't in his direct sight line. The mechanic just stared at him until he caved and wrote it up. Some people will try to get away with anything to avoid a delay. It's wild how the pressure to keep flying can make folks ignore the obvious.