B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 64; Flight Crew Total 8150; Flight Crew Type 950
Communication Breakdown; Training / Qualification
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Maintenance; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
General Maintenance Action
Procedure; Equipment / Tooling; Human Factors
Ground crew pushed us back at Airport ZZZ facing South. Normal push; disconnect; release signal and salute. Short taxi time so we started both engines. Taxied straight ahead for takeoff from Runway X. Used rudder steering since there weren't any significant turns in the taxi route. Taking the runway; I noticed that the tiller felt different; but the tiller was moving; we were turning and I just thought it was my inexperience in the left seat.Very first Captain [flight] leg after IOE. Weather conditions at the time; wind approximately 330/20G39. I also thought the wind buffeting the aircraft on the ground might have something to do with the different tiller feeling. Takeoff uneventful. After landing in Airport ZZZ1; same symptoms. After arrival at the gate it was discovered that the ZZZ ground crew had left the nose wheel steering bypass pin in.
While training on a new pushback tractor; the trainer had 7 people for the pushback of flight XYZ to Airport ZZZ1. I was riding in the passenger seat and observing how the tractor operated. After we pushed; I got out of the tractor to see how to disconnect the strap and cable from the aircraft. Then I got back in the tractor to observe the back away procedure and to get a feel for how the tractor reacts when the nose gear comes off of the platform.After backing away from the aircraft; the operator drove to gate XY to park the tractor. I got on another tractor to go to gate XZ to the breakroom. As I was driving I noticed the flag from the bypass pin still in the nose gear. I tried to give the stop signal to the pilot; but he didn't notice me and proceeded to taxi. I went to the control center to have them contact him on the radio to come back.
A new B737 Captain left the ramp area and took off with the nose wheel steering bypass in. He didn't find out until taxi in to the gate at the destination airport. Training was being conducted at the departure airport with a new pushback tractor and seven trainees. Someone forgot to pull the pin.