Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Human-Machine Interface; Training / Qualification
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown
General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Company Policy; Human Factors; Manuals; Procedure
During the preflight I discovered a Circuit Breaker (CB) for the potable water system open with a red collar. No inop or deactivated label was present by this CB and no documentation in the logbook could be found regarding this CB so Maintenance was notified. After Maintenance researched the aircraft's history no reason could be found for the CB to be open so the Mechanic closed the CB and signed off the corresponding logbook entry I had written. It is unknown how long this aircraft had been operating with this CB collared.Second; I was informed by the Purser that the aft galley had no electrical power so the utility bus switches were cycled to reset the system and I called a flight attendant in the aft galley to confirm if the galley had power. I was told the power was on and no mention was made of any open CB. I informed the Purser the aft galley power was on. Much later and just prior to departure I was informed that that the forward galley had no electrical power (in spite of the fact the First Officer had requested a cup of coffee some fifteen minutes earlier prior to departing on this all night flight). My experience and intuition dictated an inspection of the forward galley where I immediately discovered two forward galley CBs open. Again Maintenance was notified. The Mechanic informed me that earlier he had opened both the forward and aft galley CBs for reasons I do not fully understand but not related to any aircraft airworthiness or mechanical issue. The Mechanic reset the forward galley CBs and normal galley power was restored.Third; I then needed to confirm the aft galley was powered and if any crew member had reset the aft galley CBs. Power was normal and when asked directly about open CBs a flight attendant admitted that a flight attendant had reset the CBs. I asked him to come forward and we stepped onto the jet bridged where I discretely counseled him that he must never reset a CB and always inform the Captain of any CB that might be found open. The flight soon departed and upon arrival at our destination; as the crew deplaned; I asked three of the flight attendants what they believed should be done if they find a CB open. Their confident consensus was that they could reset the CB one time while on the ground and that notifying the Captain was not required. I informed them of the correct policy but they persisted that their rules allowed them to reset a CB. I further explained the policy was for safety reasons and that I was not authorized to ever reset a CB. I encouraged them to research the issue.It appears many flight attendants may not understand our CB policy and their responsibility to inform the Captain of aircraft discrepancies. Specifically; I recommend an immediate system wide electronic message to all flight attendants reminding them of the CB policy and their responsibility to inform the Captain of all maintenance related issues. Additional periodic training also seems to be required for all flight attendants. Note: On other flights; I have had flight attendants bypass me WHEN I'M PRESENT to inform Maintenance of an issue and only later do I happen to learn of the problem; and have been told by flight attendants pre-departure that: 'you can write it up when we get to our destination' as if they have that authority. Initiative by flight attendants to notify appropriate agencies for support should not be discouraged when the flight crew is not present but they should be reminded that they still have the responsibility to insure the Captain is informed.
A B757-200 Captain utilized the occasion of finding an open and banded Circuit Breaker (CB) during preflight to address what he believes to be diametrically opposed understanding of undirected CB operation between flight crew and cabin staff. He further addressed what he believes to inappropriate direct flight attendant/maintenance interface without prior consultation with the Captain.