2 aircraft began taxiing without ATC clearance causing a conflict.

Attributes
ACN	238216
Time
Date	199304
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : bos
State Reference	MA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument pilot : atp pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 5500 flight time type : 100
ASRS Report	238216
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 13500 flight time type : 3000
ASRS Report	238707
Events
Anomaly	conflict : ground critical non adherence : far
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 0 vertical : 2
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

After release from the tug upon completion of pushback we began engine start which can be a long process on the medium large transport due to engine characteristics. Consequently, other aircraft got impatient. After starting left engine, the captain turned the aircraft 90 degrees to the right to expedite our taxi while I tried to get through to ground and entered FMC data. Upon completion of the turn, we stopped, only then realizing that an medium large transport was trying to squeeze between our tail and that of another aircraft on a gate behind us. Flight attendants rang the cockpit and informed us that our wings had come very close. Impatience on the part of both crews coupled with my heads down data entry could have caused a metal to metal contact.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: 2 ACFT BEGAN TAXIING WITHOUT ATC CLRNC CAUSING A CONFLICT.

Narrative: AFTER RELEASE FROM THE TUG UPON COMPLETION OF PUSHBACK WE BEGAN ENG START WHICH CAN BE A LONG PROCESS ON THE MLG DUE TO ENG CHARACTERISTICS. CONSEQUENTLY, OTHER ACFT GOT IMPATIENT. AFTER STARTING L ENG, THE CAPT TURNED THE ACFT 90 DEGS TO THE R TO EXPEDITE OUR TAXI WHILE I TRIED TO GET THROUGH TO GND AND ENTERED FMC DATA. UPON COMPLETION OF THE TURN, WE STOPPED, ONLY THEN REALIZING THAT AN MLG WAS TRYING TO SQUEEZE BTWN OUR TAIL AND THAT OF ANOTHER ACFT ON A GATE BEHIND US. FLT ATTENDANTS RANG THE COCKPIT AND INFORMED US THAT OUR WINGS HAD COME VERY CLOSE. IMPATIENCE ON THE PART OF BOTH CREWS COUPLED WITH MY HEADS DOWN DATA ENTRY COULD HAVE CAUSED A METAL TO METAL CONTACT.

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.