After completing four flight sectors, we landed at our base airport around 2 a.m., concluding the final sector of the day.
After long duty hours and completing the final shutdown checklist, I noticed a sudden, intense flashing light through the cockpit window. Startled, I looked outside, wondering if there was an urgent situation requiring our immediate attention. It turned out to be a ground crew member using a flashing light to signal that the chocks were in place. Instead of using the standard headset communication or proper hand signals, they simply pointed the light directly at us.
The experience was incredibly alarming and stressful, especially after a long night flight. Perhaps their headset was inoperative that day, but this isn’t an isolated incident—I’ve encountered similar situations multiple times. While using a light for emergency signaling is understandable, shining it directly into the cockpit crew’s eyes unnecessarily creates discomfort and distraction.
It seems some ground staff avoid using headsets even when they are functional, resorting to such abrupt methods instead. These situations are more common during the final sector of the day when there are no follow-up flights requiring refueling or detailed communication with the cockpit crew.
From my experience, it’s wise to anticipate such behavior during night operations and take precautions to protect our eyes and focus, especially during the final sector of a long duty cycle.
