V1Rotate

So I was in an interview at a Regional Airline last week and was asked the following question:

"You are on your takeoff role and you look over and notice that the captain does not have his/her shoulder harness fastened. What do you do?"

My answer was that while it is a in violation of regulations and a potential safety issue, it would be unwise, to abort the takeoff and or distract the captain during the takeoff roll. Therefore, I would continue the takeoff and wait until we were at altitude in a non-critical phase of flight, and then remind the captain to fasten his/her shoulder harness.

The interviewer appeared to not like this answer though; saying: "Let me get this strait, you would cancel a flight over a nav light (referring to my answer to a previous question), but you would not cancel a takeoff over a shoulder harness? "

Did I give the wrong answer? It seems to me that aborting a takeoff over a shoulder harness would be very poor judgment.

porqueno

I think you gave a good answer to the seat belt, but why are you looking at your captain on the takeoff roll? Did you try to MEL the nav light?

Grumble

Personally I think you gave the right answer. Sounds like he was trying to get you to reverse yourself.

If a Nav light is an MEL item, it's law. Binary. Ones and zeros. You can't legally go. A high speed abort isn't something to be taken lightly. His shoulder harness isn't a fire light. You're not in any immediate danger, I wouldn't risk it (or scare the passengers) because of it, and wait until 10K' to say something.

Curious for more opinions.

Cargo Man

I like your answer.
Can't worry about rain deer games. Its a personality test in the interveiw stage.

clipperskipper

Nav light mel 33-1. The shoulder harness response was a good one, any other alternative
could affect the safety of flight.

2StgTurbine

The reason you would want a shoulder harness for takeoff is if it is rejected. To reject a takeoff because you do not have a shoulder harness will not only endanger the passengers, but could injury the captain who is not sufficiently secured in his seat. Your answer was right and either the interviewer was just trying to make sure you stand with your decisions, or they didn't know what they were talking about.

74plb

Maybe the interviewer was fishing for this: Under Part 121.311 (h) Each occupant of a seat equipped with a shoulder harness or with a combined safety belt and shoulder harness must have the shoulder harness or combined safety belt and shoulder harness properly secured about that occupant during takeoff and landing, except that a shoulder harness that is not combined with a safety belt may be unfastened if the occupant cannot perform the required duties with the shoulder harness fastened.
Just a thought. The OP answer works for me too though.

USMCFLYR

That is exactly what the interviewer was getting at; but the question asked wasn't SHOULD the seat belt/harness be fastened but what if it wasn't?
Well...I would suppose that the checklist was complied with and all crew members responded in the affirmative when when item was read; so then I'll think that the seatbelt was acidentally unfastened between that time and rolling down the runway.
By this time - I would not think that an abort would be the smart thing to do for the reasons already given.
I know that I would have answered the question (given my scenario) in the same manner as the OP.

USMCFLYR

tomgoodman

I agree. It might have been a "buffoon-screening" question, and any other answer would have flunked.

jonnyjetprop

Keep in mind that the interviewer might have been trying to gauge your reaction to his critism. The question can be answered in many ways.

In my mind, you did give the most correct answer. Not following the MEL (the burned out nav light) means that you selectively follow rules. The TO abort would endanger the safety of flight. You could even throw in the Boeing study on high speed aborts. (They are bad, keep going in at all possible)