Narrative:

Jan/fri/93 as mechanic I was working large transport aircraft at gate. I had just completed entering the oil service for large transport X aircraft in the computer, when I was alerted that the taxi crew (a & P mechanics which are runup and taxi qualified) were ready to be pushed off the gate to taxi the aircraft to the hangar. I then proceeded out the door with the logbook to aircraft X. When arriving at aircraft X I observed that the taxi crew had completed their walk-around and commenced to board the large transport aircraft through the airstairs at the tail of the aircraft. At this time, I handed the logbook over to the taxi crew and waited for them to raise the airstairs. Once the airstairs were up, I checked the airstair panel on the outside of the aircraft to confirm it was closed. I then turned to the back of aircraft X to observe the area in which I was to move the aircraft. I looked for any aircraft within the area and found none. I proceeded to the tow tractor and once the APU was on-line, I disconnected ground power and guided the jetway away from the aircraft. At this time, I noticed the food service truck driving up to the back of the aircraft, so I situated myself in the tractor, turning on the headlights, driving lights and installing my headset (for flight deck to ground communication). After I had tested the headset for proper operation, I was told by the taxi crew that I was clear to push the aircraft back. At this time, I could see the food service truck in front of the #3 engine. The aft r-hand door of aircraft X was open and the aircraft's galleys were being removed. At this time I replied that we are not clear to push due to food service is operating aboard the aircraft. The taxi crew replied you are clear to push back once the food truck is cleared away from the aircraft. Steadily watching the food truck, I noticed the bed lowering and then the vehicle backing away from the aircraft. At this time I then stepped out of the tractor and squatted down to once again check for aircraft behind aircraft X and saw no other aircraft. I cleared the taxi crew to release the brakes, and asked if we were once again cleared to pushback. The confirmation was yes, you are cleared to push once the food truck is away from the aircraft. I then shifted the tractor, released the hand brake, and started to push the aircraft straight back (gate is a 1-MAN pushback gate so a straight back push is required). While looking left and right and seeing no aircraft in the vicinity , I confirmed clearance to start #3 engine. As the engine was spooling up approximately 150 yards away from the park line, I had noticed the aircraft had stopped rolling backward and was skidding aft, pulling the tractor to the left side of the aircraft. At this time, I released the accelerator and applied the brakes to the tractor. I then asked the taxi crew if the aircraft brakes had been applied. I received no response at this. I replied, set the brakes and questioned if I had struck something. I received no reply aside from the brakes are set. At this, I confirmed I was disconnecting our communication so as to acknowledge what the situation was at hand. I exited the tractor and proceeded to walk to the aft of aircraft X. When once away from the tractor I could see an medium large transport Y #2 engine directly under the tail of the large transport aircraft. I could see that there was no contact at this point. I proceeded to the #1 engine of the large transport and at this point I could see that the reverser actuator cover and lower outboard reverser plate were damaged, and also that the fuselage aft of the flight deck of the medium large transport was scraped up. Walking back to the tractor I could see that there was broken glass on the ground then turned to locate the broken window on the medium large transport which had been the first officer's eyebrow window. At this time, the medium large transport crew had still not turned on any obvious lighting (landing lights, taxi lights, running lights, or even strobes). I continued to walk to the tractor and turned on my headset and confirmed I had collided with another aircraft. I was disturbed by the fact that I did not see the medium large transport while I was pushing back or even on my previous walk-around, and that the crew of the medium large transport did not identify their position when they saw that the large transport was in an unsafe range. I was notmade aware of any communication by the tower to either aircraft of the situation. I was firmly told we were clear to push.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: 2 ACR ACFT DAMAGED DURING RAMP OP PUSHBACK IN A NIGHT OP.

Narrative: JAN/FRI/93 AS MECH I WAS WORKING LGT ACFT AT GATE. I HAD JUST COMPLETED ENTERING THE OIL SVC FOR LGT X ACFT IN THE COMPUTER, WHEN I WAS ALERTED THAT THE TAXI CREW (A & P MECHS WHICH ARE RUNUP AND TAXI QUALIFIED) WERE READY TO BE PUSHED OFF THE GATE TO TAXI THE ACFT TO THE HANGAR. I THEN PROCEEDED OUT THE DOOR WITH THE LOGBOOK TO ACFT X. WHEN ARRIVING AT ACFT X I OBSERVED THAT THE TAXI CREW HAD COMPLETED THEIR WALK-AROUND AND COMMENCED TO BOARD THE LGT ACFT THROUGH THE AIRSTAIRS AT THE TAIL OF THE ACFT. AT THIS TIME, I HANDED THE LOGBOOK OVER TO THE TAXI CREW AND WAITED FOR THEM TO RAISE THE AIRSTAIRS. ONCE THE AIRSTAIRS WERE UP, I CHKED THE AIRSTAIR PANEL ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ACFT TO CONFIRM IT WAS CLOSED. I THEN TURNED TO THE BACK OF ACFT X TO OBSERVE THE AREA IN WHICH I WAS TO MOVE THE ACFT. I LOOKED FOR ANY ACFT WITHIN THE AREA AND FOUND NONE. I PROCEEDED TO THE TOW TRACTOR AND ONCE THE APU WAS ON-LINE, I DISCONNECTED GND PWR AND GUIDED THE JETWAY AWAY FROM THE ACFT. AT THIS TIME, I NOTICED THE FOOD SVC TRUCK DRIVING UP TO THE BACK OF THE ACFT, SO I SITUATED MYSELF IN THE TRACTOR, TURNING ON THE HEADLIGHTS, DRIVING LIGHTS AND INSTALLING MY HEADSET (FOR FLT DECK TO GND COM). AFTER I HAD TESTED THE HEADSET FOR PROPER OP, I WAS TOLD BY THE TAXI CREW THAT I WAS CLR TO PUSH THE ACFT BACK. AT THIS TIME, I COULD SEE THE FOOD SVC TRUCK IN FRONT OF THE #3 ENG. THE AFT R-HAND DOOR OF ACFT X WAS OPEN AND THE ACFT'S GALLEYS WERE BEING REMOVED. AT THIS TIME I REPLIED THAT WE ARE NOT CLR TO PUSH DUE TO FOOD SVC IS OPERATING ABOARD THE ACFT. THE TAXI CREW REPLIED YOU ARE CLR TO PUSH BACK ONCE THE FOOD TRUCK IS CLRED AWAY FROM THE ACFT. STEADILY WATCHING THE FOOD TRUCK, I NOTICED THE BED LOWERING AND THEN THE VEHICLE BACKING AWAY FROM THE ACFT. AT THIS TIME I THEN STEPPED OUT OF THE TRACTOR AND SQUATTED DOWN TO ONCE AGAIN CHK FOR ACFT BEHIND ACFT X AND SAW NO OTHER ACFT. I CLRED THE TAXI CREW TO RELEASE THE BRAKES, AND ASKED IF WE WERE ONCE AGAIN CLRED TO PUSHBACK. THE CONFIRMATION WAS YES, YOU ARE CLRED TO PUSH ONCE THE FOOD TRUCK IS AWAY FROM THE ACFT. I THEN SHIFTED THE TRACTOR, RELEASED THE HAND BRAKE, AND STARTED TO PUSH THE ACFT STRAIGHT BACK (GATE IS A 1-MAN PUSHBACK GATE SO A STRAIGHT BACK PUSH IS REQUIRED). WHILE LOOKING L AND R AND SEEING NO ACFT IN THE VICINITY , I CONFIRMED CLRNC TO START #3 ENG. AS THE ENG WAS SPOOLING UP APPROX 150 YARDS AWAY FROM THE PARK LINE, I HAD NOTICED THE ACFT HAD STOPPED ROLLING BACKWARD AND WAS SKIDDING AFT, PULLING THE TRACTOR TO THE L SIDE OF THE ACFT. AT THIS TIME, I RELEASED THE ACCELERATOR AND APPLIED THE BRAKES TO THE TRACTOR. I THEN ASKED THE TAXI CREW IF THE ACFT BRAKES HAD BEEN APPLIED. I RECEIVED NO RESPONSE AT THIS. I REPLIED, SET THE BRAKES AND QUESTIONED IF I HAD STRUCK SOMETHING. I RECEIVED NO REPLY ASIDE FROM THE BRAKES ARE SET. AT THIS, I CONFIRMED I WAS DISCONNECTING OUR COM SO AS TO ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT THE SIT WAS AT HAND. I EXITED THE TRACTOR AND PROCEEDED TO WALK TO THE AFT OF ACFT X. WHEN ONCE AWAY FROM THE TRACTOR I COULD SEE AN MLG Y #2 ENG DIRECTLY UNDER THE TAIL OF THE LGT ACFT. I COULD SEE THAT THERE WAS NO CONTACT AT THIS POINT. I PROCEEDED TO THE #1 ENG OF THE LGT AND AT THIS POINT I COULD SEE THAT THE REVERSER ACTUATOR COVER AND LOWER OUTBOARD REVERSER PLATE WERE DAMAGED, AND ALSO THAT THE FUSELAGE AFT OF THE FLT DECK OF THE MLG WAS SCRAPED UP. WALKING BACK TO THE TRACTOR I COULD SEE THAT THERE WAS BROKEN GLASS ON THE GND THEN TURNED TO LOCATE THE BROKEN WINDOW ON THE MLG WHICH HAD BEEN THE FO'S EYEBROW WINDOW. AT THIS TIME, THE MLG CREW HAD STILL NOT TURNED ON ANY OBVIOUS LIGHTING (LNDG LIGHTS, TAXI LIGHTS, RUNNING LIGHTS, OR EVEN STROBES). I CONTINUED TO WALK TO THE TRACTOR AND TURNED ON MY HEADSET AND CONFIRMED I HAD COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER ACFT. I WAS DISTURBED BY THE FACT THAT I DID NOT SEE THE MLG WHILE I WAS PUSHING BACK OR EVEN ON MY PREVIOUS WALK-AROUND, AND THAT THE CREW OF THE MLG DID NOT IDENT THEIR POS WHEN THEY SAW THAT THE LGT WAS IN AN UNSAFE RANGE. I WAS NOTMADE AWARE OF ANY COM BY THE TWR TO EITHER ACFT OF THE SIT. I WAS FIRMLY TOLD WE WERE CLR TO PUSH.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.