Narrative:

We were pushing back from gate xy at ZZZ, us, when the tow bar pin connecting the aircraft to the tug snapped and caused our aircraft to roll freely across the ramp. We were told by the push crew to apply the brakes immediately to avoid hitting an aircraft parked behind us. As the brakes were applied, one of the flight attendants was thrown rearward and injured her arm in the galley. We returned to the gate to have the injured flight attendant looked at and to have maintenance inspect the nose gear assembly since the nosewheel castered when the pin broke. Maintenance inspected the nose gear and found no damage so the logbook was signed off indicating no damage to the aircraft or its nosewheel assembly. The following day, our crew was told that the aircraft in question had been grounded after our arrival in XXX due to damage in the nosewheel area hydraulic areas. We had possibly flown an unairworthy aircraft even though our own company maintenance had signed off the aircraft at ZZZ as being airworthy.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B727-200 INCURRED NOSE GEAR DAMAGE AND A FLT ATTENDANT INJURY DURING PUSHBACK WHEN THE TOW BAR FAILED. ACFT TOWED BACK TO GATE FOR GEAR INSPECTION AND FLT ATTENDANT INJURY. ACFT DISPATCHED AND REMOVED FROM SVC AT TERMINATING STATION DUE TO UNRPTED NOSE GEAR DAMAGE.

Narrative: WE WERE PUSHING BACK FROM GATE XY AT ZZZ, US, WHEN THE TOW BAR PIN CONNECTING THE ACFT TO THE TUG SNAPPED AND CAUSED OUR ACFT TO ROLL FREELY ACROSS THE RAMP. WE WERE TOLD BY THE PUSH CREW TO APPLY THE BRAKES IMMEDIATELY TO AVOID HITTING AN ACFT PARKED BEHIND US. AS THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS WAS THROWN REARWARD AND INJURED HER ARM IN THE GALLEY. WE RETURNED TO THE GATE TO HAVE THE INJURED FLT ATTENDANT LOOKED AT AND TO HAVE MAINT INSPECT THE NOSE GEAR ASSEMBLY SINCE THE NOSEWHEEL CASTERED WHEN THE PIN BROKE. MAINT INSPECTED THE NOSE GEAR AND FOUND NO DAMAGE SO THE LOGBOOK WAS SIGNED OFF INDICATING NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT OR ITS NOSEWHEEL ASSEMBLY. THE FOLLOWING DAY, OUR CREW WAS TOLD THAT THE ACFT IN QUESTION HAD BEEN GNDED AFTER OUR ARR IN XXX DUE TO DAMAGE IN THE NOSEWHEEL AREA HYD AREAS. WE HAD POSSIBLY FLOWN AN UNAIRWORTHY ACFT EVEN THOUGH OUR OWN COMPANY MAINT HAD SIGNED OFF THE ACFT AT ZZZ AS BEING AIRWORTHY.

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.