B737-800
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 172; Flight Crew Type 2500
Communication Breakdown; Time Pressure
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem
Human Factors; Staffing; Weather; Procedure
We deadheaded to start our trip. We arrived late. When I arrived at the aircraft we were taking we were about 15 minutes from scheduled push. The Agent let me down the jetway and asked if I would let the Flight Attendants know that the Passengers would be coming down. I said that would be fine. He also notified me that the paperwork was in the aircraft. When I arrived at the aircraft; the Flight Attendants were all on board but the aircraft was cold and dark and not plugged in or hooked up to the air. I said hello to the Flight Attendants and began my checks so that I could start the APU. As I was doing this; the Passengers began boarding. I didn't notice that the Passengers were boarding until after I had gotten the APU started. The aircraft was an -800 and we were [going to have a light passenger load]. I knew the Passengers would not take long to board; so I wasted no time completing my preflight and walk around. After my walk around; the Captain and I discussed the plan for deicing as it was snowing. The Captain and I went over the flight plan and the MELs that were on the aircraft. I wasn't thinking about the weather [at our destination] because we had just come from the west and I thought the weather to be a nonissue. I also assumed the Captain had looked at it and everything was fine. We noticed that we didn't have a weather packet during the climb out. We proceeded to use the ACARS to get the appropriate weather and NOTAMS for our flight.[We must] include a weather packet with every Release even if that means printing an updated weather packet closer to departure. [We should] allow aircraft to be left powered up without Pilots onboard. I shouldn't have assumed that the Flight Attendants and aircraft were ready to board without going down to the aircraft first.
When I got there; the Agent was starting to board the flight and as I squeezed past a disabled Passenger the Agent said; 'Paperwork is down there; Boss'.The lead Flight Attendant didn't have her paperwork and asked if I had HER paperwork in with mine.... (Where was her paperwork?) The Agent entered the cockpit and said; 'We're deicing West pad (and grudgingly asked); You want a sheet?' I said; 'YES!' Given the weather; the deice form should have already been in the paperwork that the Agent said was 'down there; Boss'. After the FO returned from the exterior preflight; I asked the Agent face-to-face to not close the entry door until I advised him we were ready; saying 'we still have a lot of checks to do'. Agent threw the deice form on the console and; shortly thereafter; the load sheet and PROMPTLY CLOSED THE ENTRY DOOR despite my request to the contrary and retracted the bridge! Cockpit briefings were conducted; location of de-icing; how we'd get there; and the multi agencies we needed to talk to. Aircraft was deiced and after takeoff. I realized we didn't have the weather package. The weather was MISSING when the Agent said 'paperwork's down there; Boss. Did he ever print the weather?'
After deadheading in; running late for departure; heavy snow; finding a cold unpowered airplane already being boarded by passengers and dealing with a harried; uncooperative gate agent all combined for a rushed and incomplete preflight environment during which the flight crew failed to note there was no weather packet contained in the flight papers until after takeoff.