The ground crew repositioned a B767 flight crew's aircraft without company ramp coordination at lax.

Attributes
ACN	454880
Time
Date	199911
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : lax.airport
State Reference	CA
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B767 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : multi engine pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
ASRS Report	454880
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
ASRS Report	455077
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other flight crewb
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Company
Primary Problem	Company

Narrative:

Location: lax company ramp. We were assigned gate on arrival. It is a tow-in gate. The ground personnel hooked up the tow bar on arrival and proceeded to tow us in. They did a very poor job with a gross alignment. Without permission from company ramp, the crew proceeded to push the plane back into the ramp area. Company ramp notified us too late saying there may have been a conflict. Supplemental information from acn 455077: the first officer and I commented that the tow path seemed unusually wide. The other ground crew also signaled the driver that he was wide of the parking line. Very soon after stopping, the driver called to say that he needed to repos the airplane and not park the brakes. He then started to better align the plane. We soon realized that he was initiating a deep pushback and as the first officer reset his interphone panel to call company ramp control, they were calling us to ask where we were going. They were concerned as another plane opposite our gate had called for push. We explained what had happened and they of course reminded us of the need to call before push.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE GND CREW REPOSITIONED A B767 FLC'S ACFT WITHOUT COMPANY RAMP COORD AT LAX.

Narrative: LOCATION: LAX COMPANY RAMP. WE WERE ASSIGNED GATE ON ARR. IT IS A TOW-IN GATE. THE GND PERSONNEL HOOKED UP THE TOW BAR ON ARR AND PROCEEDED TO TOW US IN. THEY DID A VERY POOR JOB WITH A GROSS ALIGNMENT. WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM COMPANY RAMP, THE CREW PROCEEDED TO PUSH THE PLANE BACK INTO THE RAMP AREA. COMPANY RAMP NOTIFIED US TOO LATE SAYING THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A CONFLICT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 455077: THE FO AND I COMMENTED THAT THE TOW PATH SEEMED UNUSUALLY WIDE. THE OTHER GND CREW ALSO SIGNALED THE DRIVER THAT HE WAS WIDE OF THE PARKING LINE. VERY SOON AFTER STOPPING, THE DRIVER CALLED TO SAY THAT HE NEEDED TO REPOS THE AIRPLANE AND NOT PARK THE BRAKES. HE THEN STARTED TO BETTER ALIGN THE PLANE. WE SOON REALIZED THAT HE WAS INITIATING A DEEP PUSHBACK AND AS THE FO RESET HIS INTERPHONE PANEL TO CALL COMPANY RAMP CTL, THEY WERE CALLING US TO ASK WHERE WE WERE GOING. THEY WERE CONCERNED AS ANOTHER PLANE OPPOSITE OUR GATE HAD CALLED FOR PUSH. WE EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND THEY OF COURSE REMINDED US OF THE NEED TO CALL BEFORE 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.