Narrative:

Pushback was made onto active taxiway G from gate at lax, 45 mins late, and pushback ground crew was 1 man short. I responded to request from ground crew on intercom that brakes were set and clear to disconnect. 2 engines were started and the distrs started. The senior flight attendant came to the cockpit and reported the smell of burning rubber at row 30. The flight engineer went to the cabin and could not confirm the smell. Cabin air pack settings were altered and during this time a ramp agent was observed walking towards the area of gate xy adjacent to the left wing. Ramp tower called with changes to the passenger count and takeoff weight. Another aircraft had pushed back from gate xz and was waiting for us to move. The copilot called for taxi and repeated that we were clear to taxi. None of the ground crew was observed near the aircraft and brakes were released. The aircraft rolled 2-3 ft and nosewheel struck tow bar necessitating the change of the nose tire. The combination of a long situation after push back, about 5 mins, coupled with no visual signal from ground crew, sitting on an active taxiway, and the copilot repeating the instructions to taxi now, caused a reaction of releasing the brakes prior to my realizing that we had not been visually released with a salute. With the replacement of many of our permanent ground personnel with temporary employees, the push back environment has changed from one of precision to one of accepting what you get. This change includes cases where 4 attempts were needed to get the aircraft pushed away from the gate on a prior occasion, broken tow bars, lack of a signal man in view as required by company regulations, and the signal man casually waving you away in lieu of a salute.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GND CREW HAD NOT RELEASED FLC OF MLG TO TAXI RESULTING IN THE NOSE TIRE BEING DAMAGED WHEN HITTING TOW BAR DURING ATTEMPTED TAXI.

Narrative: PUSHBACK WAS MADE ONTO ACTIVE TXWY G FROM GATE AT LAX, 45 MINS LATE, AND PUSHBACK GND CREW WAS 1 MAN SHORT. I RESPONDED TO REQUEST FROM GND CREW ON INTERCOM THAT BRAKES WERE SET AND CLR TO DISCONNECT. 2 ENGS WERE STARTED AND THE DISTRS STARTED. THE SENIOR FLT ATTENDANT CAME TO THE COCKPIT AND RPTED THE SMELL OF BURNING RUBBER AT ROW 30. THE FE WENT TO THE CABIN AND COULD NOT CONFIRM THE SMELL. CABIN AIR PACK SETTINGS WERE ALTERED AND DURING THIS TIME A RAMP AGENT WAS OBSERVED WALKING TOWARDS THE AREA OF GATE XY ADJACENT TO THE L WING. RAMP TWR CALLED WITH CHANGES TO THE PAX COUNT AND TKOF WT. ANOTHER ACFT HAD PUSHED BACK FROM GATE XZ AND WAS WAITING FOR US TO MOVE. THE COPLT CALLED FOR TAXI AND REPEATED THAT WE WERE CLR TO TAXI. NONE OF THE GND CREW WAS OBSERVED NEAR THE ACFT AND BRAKES WERE RELEASED. THE ACFT ROLLED 2-3 FT AND NOSEWHEEL STRUCK TOW BAR NECESSITATING THE CHANGE OF THE NOSE TIRE. THE COMBINATION OF A LONG SIT AFTER PUSH BACK, ABOUT 5 MINS, COUPLED WITH NO VISUAL SIGNAL FROM GND CREW, SITTING ON AN ACTIVE TXWY, AND THE COPLT REPEATING THE INSTRUCTIONS TO TAXI NOW, CAUSED A REACTION OF RELEASING THE BRAKES PRIOR TO MY REALIZING THAT WE HAD NOT BEEN VISUALLY RELEASED WITH A SALUTE. WITH THE REPLACEMENT OF MANY OF OUR PERMANENT GND PERSONNEL WITH TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES, THE PUSH BACK ENVIRONMENT HAS CHANGED FROM ONE OF PRECISION TO ONE OF ACCEPTING WHAT YOU GET. THIS CHANGE INCLUDES CASES WHERE 4 ATTEMPTS WERE NEEDED TO GET THE ACFT PUSHED AWAY FROM THE GATE ON A PRIOR OCCASION, BROKEN TOW BARS, LACK OF A SIGNAL MAN IN VIEW AS REQUIRED BY COMPANY REGS, AND THE SIGNAL MAN CASUALLY WAVING YOU AWAY IN LIEU OF A SALUTE.

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.