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When; during pushback of a dhc-8; the tow bar detached from the tug because the link pin was incompletely inserted. The resulting whiplash damaged a steering link and sheared a steering fuse lug on the aircraft. The damage required it to be ferried for inspection and repair. The interim fix utilized to prepare the nosegear for the ferry flight turned out to have been inappropriate and could have allowed the nose gear to swivel. Fortunately; that did not happen and the airplane was repaired and returned to service.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1083661 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201304 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Dash 8-100 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Taxi |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Person 2 | |
| Function | Other / Unknown |
| Qualification | Maintenance Powerplant Maintenance Airframe |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Deviation - Procedural Maintenance Ground Event / Encounter Vehicle Ground Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control Ground Incursion Taxiway |
Narrative:
The door was closed and we were cleared for pushback. As the tug began to push us back there were several large jolts and the tow bar came free from the tug. The tug driver stopped his vehicle and we continued to roll backward toward another aircraft. I applied the parking break to stop the aircraft. I entered the cabin to check on the flight attendant and the passengers as we had stopped more abruptly than normal. The flight attendant had finished her walk through and was sitting down at the moment we stopped and had stumbled into row one; but she was ok. I then exited the aircraft to see what had happened. I noticed the tow bar was still attached to the nose wheel and had rotated approximately 160 degrees. Ramp supervisors had arrived and asked if they could tow us back to our spot to clear the alley. I told them not to touch anything until I had spoken to maintenance. I got back on the plane and asked the first officer to call for an agent to deplane the passengers and proceeded to call maintenance. The agent arrived and the passengers were deplaned. If the pin for the tow bar had been installed properly this incident would not have happened.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: When; during pushback of a DHC-8; the tow bar detached from the tug because the link pin was incompletely inserted. The resulting whiplash damaged a steering link and sheared a steering fuse lug on the aircraft. The damage required it to be ferried for inspection and repair. The interim fix utilized to prepare the nosegear for the ferry flight turned out to have been inappropriate and could have allowed the nose gear to swivel. Fortunately; that did not happen and the airplane was repaired and returned to service.
Narrative: The door was closed and we were cleared for pushback. As the tug began to push us back there were several large jolts and the tow bar came free from the tug. The tug driver stopped his vehicle and we continued to roll backward toward another aircraft. I applied the parking break to stop the aircraft. I entered the cabin to check on the Flight Attendant and the passengers as we had stopped more abruptly than normal. The Flight Attendant had finished her walk through and was sitting down at the moment we stopped and had stumbled into row one; but she was OK. I then exited the aircraft to see what had happened. I noticed the tow bar was still attached to the nose wheel and had rotated approximately 160 degrees. Ramp supervisors had arrived and asked if they could tow us back to our spot to clear the alley. I told them not to touch anything until I had spoken to Maintenance. I got back on the plane and asked the First Officer to call for an agent to deplane the passengers and proceeded to call Maintenance. The agent arrived and the passengers were deplaned. If the pin for the tow bar had been installed properly this incident would not have happened.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.