B737-700
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed; General Maintenance Action
Procedure; Aircraft
The Ground Crew had finished pushing our flight from the gate. I cleared the Ground Crew off and was then shown the bypass pin and wireless headset bag per normal procedures. We started #2 for a single engine taxi. Upon rolling; the aircraft started veering left with no nose wheel steering. I made a quick and unexpected stop which occurred during the flight attendant demo. (No one was injured but it did get the attention of the flight attendants). I realized that the Ground Crew probably failed to ensure the towing lever was in in the normal position after removing the bypass pin which would have enabled the hydraulic nose wheel steering. I called OPS and they sent a ramp person out to lower the lever. The nose wheel steering then worked normally. I suggest the following: ensure the Ground Crew at all stations verify the towing lever is in the normal position after removing the bypass pin and that a warning is added in section X.2 of the AOM that proper nose wheel steering operation should be verified as the aircraft taxis forward. I recommend that the AOM is revised in section Y-1 to read: 'fuel verified; final is clear'. This ensures that the proper fuel on board is verified at the last possible moment before taxiing onto the runway instead of at the beginning of the Before Takeoff Checklist so unexpected delays would not cause a takeoff below the min fuel requirement.
B737-700 Captain reported no nose wheel steering control on taxi after engine start.