Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Maintenance Airframe; Maintenance Powerplant
Situational Awareness; Distraction; Workload; Confusion
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem
Human Factors; Procedure; Company Policy
Maintenance marshalled inbound flight into the Gate. At same time an arrival at an adjacent Gate was also being marshalled in. After stopping of aircraft; external power was hooked up by maintenance. Flight crew shutdown #2 engine. The beacon was shutoff. The #1 engine continued to run. As normal operations; the ramp personnel install chocks and cones. After seeing the beacon extinguish; the ramp personnel approached the running #1 engine with intent to place a cone at the inlet and alongside the outboard cowling. Simultaneously maintenance was trying to make visual contact with flight crew to communicate external power was hooked up and showing available. Fortunately maintenance was able to get the attention of the endangered ramp personnel who retreated back to outside the silhouette. According to Captain's Pirep: 'During engine shutdown with #1 start lever in cutoff engine did not shut down for 30 seconds. Full authority engine control (FADEC) fault light flashed on then off. Shook lever in detent and engine shutoff.'I believe the engine was running for approximately one minute with the beacon off. The exact time of the engine running is not as important the fact the beacon was turned off prior to the engine being shutdown normally or abnormally. Resulting in a false visual indication to approach the aircraft. Maintenance believes the ramp personnel would have been ingested had they not been able to get their attention. All personnel have to increase their situational awareness during higher risk phases of operations. Noise levels of engines running along with adjacent gates arrival contributed to diminished aural sensitivity. Installing chocks and cones is a routine task but very near unforgiving equipment. The flight crew needed to verify engine was shutting down prior to turning off the beacon. Everyone needs to be prepared for abnormal operations especially when a malfunction is occurring.
Flight crew turned off beacon prior to #1 engine shutting down. Noticing the beacon was turned off; ramp personnel assumed the engines were shut down and proceeded to attempt to set out cones in front of the running engine. The Captain stated that the engine ran for 30 seconds after the start lever was placed in the cutoff position.