Narrative:

During pushback from gate, heard loud bang followed by our aircraft moving backward faster than pushback vehicle. Almost immediately after noticing an increasing distance between push vehicle and aircraft, we were instructed to apply brakes slowly by ground personnel as we had become disconnected inadvertently. After bringing aircraft to a slow stop, I set the brakes. The ground crew informed us that the tow bar had become inadvertently disconnected but we were now free to taxi out. Only on my insistence to inspect the nose gear assembly did personnel discover that the pin which holds the towbar to the nosewheel had broke apart and was still attached to the aircraft. Maintenance was then called out to the aircraft to remove the pin from the aircraft nose gear assembly. Good lesson in expecting the unexpected during pushbacks and always using that little voice in the back of your mind that's telling you something might be amiss when ground personnel say otherwise.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TOWBAR PIN BROKE DURING PUSHBACK CAUSING THE TOWBAR PIN TO REMAIN IN THE NOSEWHEEL STRUT. CAPT HAD THE ACFT WHEEL ASSEMBLY INSPECTED FOR DAMAGE PRIOR TO FLT.

Narrative: DURING PUSHBACK FROM GATE, HEARD LOUD BANG FOLLOWED BY OUR ACFT MOVING BACKWARD FASTER THAN PUSHBACK VEHICLE. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER NOTICING AN INCREASING DISTANCE BTWN PUSH VEHICLE AND ACFT, WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO APPLY BRAKES SLOWLY BY GND PERSONNEL AS WE HAD BECOME DISCONNECTED INADVERTENTLY. AFTER BRINGING ACFT TO A SLOW STOP, I SET THE BRAKES. THE GND CREW INFORMED US THAT THE TOW BAR HAD BECOME INADVERTENTLY DISCONNECTED BUT WE WERE NOW FREE TO TAXI OUT. ONLY ON MY INSISTENCE TO INSPECT THE NOSE GEAR ASSEMBLY DID PERSONNEL DISCOVER THAT THE PIN WHICH HOLDS THE TOWBAR TO THE NOSEWHEEL HAD BROKE APART AND WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE ACFT. MAINT WAS THEN CALLED OUT TO THE ACFT TO REMOVE THE PIN FROM THE ACFT NOSE GEAR ASSEMBLY. GOOD LESSON IN EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED DURING PUSHBACKS AND ALWAYS USING THAT LITTLE VOICE IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND THAT'S TELLING YOU SOMETHING MIGHT BE AMISS WHEN GND PERSONNEL SAY OTHERWISE.

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.