B737-300
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 84; Flight Crew Type 16600
Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown; Training / Qualification
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert
Aircraft; Airport; Procedure; Human Factors
Our APU was deferred inoperative so a crossbleed start was required. The First Officer told Ground we needed to start one engine at the gate and then would crossbleed start the other after pushback. Ground said; 'Cleared to start one at the gate; cleared to push on to Taxiway Bravo; and cleared to crossbleed start the other engine once on Taxiway Bravo.'We started one at the gate; pushed to Taxiway Bravo; cleared off the Ground Crew; and did a crossbleed start the other engine. We called for taxi and a different Ground Controller cleared us to taxi to Runway 27 on Bravo and asked us if we were going to crossbleed start during taxi.We replied; 'No. We have already started the engine.' Ground said to crossbleed start; we should be perfectly aligned with the taxiway; parallel with the runway. I estimate that there was a 20 degree angle between our aircraft alignment and the taxiway. We said that we understood for future starts and taxied to the runway. We heard Ground Control call an airport vehicle to check the area where we had done our start; but had no further contact on the matter from Ground or Tower.I haven't done many crossbleed starts but I plan to talk with Ground or Ramp Control to determine if there are particular procedures for the airport. The first Ground Controller could have been more specific about our start on Taxiway Bravo.
After performing a crossbleed start of their second engine after pushback onto Bravo taxiway per clearance from Ground Control the flight crew of a B737-300 was informed by a new Ground Controller that they were improperly aligned on the taxiway when they performed the start and that an airport vehicle was enroute to check the area for any blast damage.