B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 85; Flight Crew Total 15800; Flight Crew Type 1756
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Situational Awareness; Time Pressure
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown
Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Human Factors
We brought this aircraft in with about an hour until our next flight departs. I had done my preflight flow for the next flight; was coordinating an item with the Captain while downloading the flight plan for my next leg. A person came into the flight deck and asked if he could shut down the APU. I assumed he was Tech Ops and I said 'sure; whatever you need to do'. Then he said; 'I'm going to turn these off (fuel pumps)'. Assuming he was Tech Ops I said OK; do you need into my seat? This is when I became aware that he was not Tech Ops but he told me he was 'APU'. We had a discussion that I didn't think it was a good idea for someone to come into the flight deck and manipulate switches that I had already positioned via my flow. He told me that he was also supposed to turn off the window heat; and he asked (out of curiosity) why I needed the fuel pumps on? I told him this was SOP for a preflight flow. I turned the fuel pumps back on. A few things to note. I should not have assumed he was Tech Ops and asked to see his ID. Had it been a few minutes later I would have been outside and maybe have not noticed the fuel pumps being turned off. Of course we would have caught it with a later checklist but I still don't like the idea of the set up being altered. Good CRM could have lowered the confusion to this whole process but from what I observed he and I didn't share the same CRM training and philosophy so there was a disconnect about what was going on. Though not a quick turn I was still time compressed and this was an added distraction.
B737NG F/O reported he was concerned about a maintenance-related individual who came to the cockpit during preflight and turned switches off that were to be positioned on for departure.