Narrative:

Start of flight msp-lga gate ab, push at XA00 return to gate at XA19. Pushed off gate ab, started engine #1. Leading edge amber light stayed on with command of 'set brakes.' response 'brake set, pressure normal.' leading edge amber light stayed on after engine start with 'a' pumps on. Told pushback coordinator to 'stay with us as we had a problem.' pushback coordinator suggested setting flaps to 2 degrees. Cleared area, flaps set but light still on. Checked circuit breakers and communication. I was talking to pushback coordinator, first officer to ramp control, ground and company, and so to flight attendant and passenger. CRM conference. Conclusion was that we had to return to gate because problem would not resolve itself. Told to contact company because plane was waiting for gate. Awaiting clearance back to gate, so made PA that we were returning to gate and we checked for all passenger seated. Told coordinator we were going back to gate when cleared. Obtained clearance from ramp and released brakes. As I was about to tell coordinator that we 'brakes released cleared to pull to gate' when aircraft rolled forward. Myself, so and first officer all believed aircraft was still connected to tug when it was not. Supplemental information from acn 458083: during engine start, I pointed out to the captain that with an engine running and hydraulic system 'a' pressurized we had a leading edge device disagreement light illuminate. All 3 engines were started and the captain notified the pushback tug driver to stand by, due to a possible maintenance problem. The leading edge device problem was troubleshot and the crew was unable to solve the problem. Ground control was notified that we would be holding our position in the alley. The captain discussed his decision to return to the gate and let maintenance fix the problem. I called the company. Company wanted us to return to gate ab. I then informed ground control. While I was talking to ground control, the captain released the brakes in anticipation of being towed in to the gate and he immediately reapplied the brakes as the pushback coordinator informed us that we made contact with the tow bar with the nose gear. The tug was then moved away and we taxied to the gate. The problem occurred due to a lack of communication. The crew thought that the tow bar was still connected to the aircraft. The cockpit workload was high. The flight was canceled and the aircraft was taken OTS pending inspection of the nose gear. This was an abnormal situation with a lot of things happening in the 19 mins from block-out to block-in. There should have been more definitive communication between the captain and the pushback coordinator. If the captain would have asked me or the so before he released the brakes, perhaps we would have had him doublechk with the pushback coordinator. Supplemental information from acn 458087: after pushback, a flap problem developed during engine start. Aircraft B727-200 rolled forward into tow bar causing a bolt in nose strut to bend. Aircraft was taxied back to gate ab with possible nose gear damage and possibly without completing taxi checklist. Flight canceled. The need to call ground, company, mechanics, flight attendants, and passenger diverted attention of positive aircraft control by crew. A small problem turned into a big one.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 CREW HAD DISTR THAT ALLOWED COCKPIT FLOW PATTERN TO BE DISRUPTED. CAPT RELEASED BRAKES WITHOUT COORD WITH PUSHBACK COORDINATOR.

Narrative: START OF FLT MSP-LGA GATE AB, PUSH AT XA00 RETURN TO GATE AT XA19. PUSHED OFF GATE AB, STARTED ENG #1. LEADING EDGE AMBER LIGHT STAYED ON WITH COMMAND OF 'SET BRAKES.' RESPONSE 'BRAKE SET, PRESSURE NORMAL.' LEADING EDGE AMBER LIGHT STAYED ON AFTER ENG START WITH 'A' PUMPS ON. TOLD PUSHBACK COORDINATOR TO 'STAY WITH US AS WE HAD A PROB.' PUSHBACK COORDINATOR SUGGESTED SETTING FLAPS TO 2 DEGS. CLRED AREA, FLAPS SET BUT LIGHT STILL ON. CHKED CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND COM. I WAS TALKING TO PUSHBACK COORDINATOR, FO TO RAMP CTL, GND AND COMPANY, AND SO TO FLT ATTENDANT AND PAX. CRM CONFERENCE. CONCLUSION WAS THAT WE HAD TO RETURN TO GATE BECAUSE PROB WOULD NOT RESOLVE ITSELF. TOLD TO CONTACT COMPANY BECAUSE PLANE WAS WAITING FOR GATE. AWAITING CLRNC BACK TO GATE, SO MADE PA THAT WE WERE RETURNING TO GATE AND WE CHKED FOR ALL PAX SEATED. TOLD COORDINATOR WE WERE GOING BACK TO GATE WHEN CLRED. OBTAINED CLRNC FROM RAMP AND RELEASED BRAKES. AS I WAS ABOUT TO TELL COORDINATOR THAT WE 'BRAKES RELEASED CLRED TO PULL TO GATE' WHEN ACFT ROLLED FORWARD. MYSELF, SO AND FO ALL BELIEVED ACFT WAS STILL CONNECTED TO TUG WHEN IT WAS NOT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 458083: DURING ENG START, I POINTED OUT TO THE CAPT THAT WITH AN ENG RUNNING AND HYD SYS 'A' PRESSURIZED WE HAD A LEADING EDGE DEVICE DISAGREEMENT LIGHT ILLUMINATE. ALL 3 ENGS WERE STARTED AND THE CAPT NOTIFIED THE PUSHBACK TUG DRIVER TO STAND BY, DUE TO A POSSIBLE MAINT PROB. THE LEADING EDGE DEVICE PROB WAS TROUBLESHOT AND THE CREW WAS UNABLE TO SOLVE THE PROB. GND CTL WAS NOTIFIED THAT WE WOULD BE HOLDING OUR POS IN THE ALLEY. THE CAPT DISCUSSED HIS DECISION TO RETURN TO THE GATE AND LET MAINT FIX THE PROB. I CALLED THE COMPANY. COMPANY WANTED US TO RETURN TO GATE AB. I THEN INFORMED GND CTL. WHILE I WAS TALKING TO GND CTL, THE CAPT RELEASED THE BRAKES IN ANTICIPATION OF BEING TOWED IN TO THE GATE AND HE IMMEDIATELY REAPPLIED THE BRAKES AS THE PUSHBACK COORDINATOR INFORMED US THAT WE MADE CONTACT WITH THE TOW BAR WITH THE NOSE GEAR. THE TUG WAS THEN MOVED AWAY AND WE TAXIED TO THE GATE. THE PROB OCCURRED DUE TO A LACK OF COM. THE CREW THOUGHT THAT THE TOW BAR WAS STILL CONNECTED TO THE ACFT. THE COCKPIT WORKLOAD WAS HIGH. THE FLT WAS CANCELED AND THE ACFT WAS TAKEN OTS PENDING INSPECTION OF THE NOSE GEAR. THIS WAS AN ABNORMAL SIT WITH A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING IN THE 19 MINS FROM BLOCK-OUT TO BLOCK-IN. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE DEFINITIVE COM BTWN THE CAPT AND THE PUSHBACK COORDINATOR. IF THE CAPT WOULD HAVE ASKED ME OR THE SO BEFORE HE RELEASED THE BRAKES, PERHAPS WE WOULD HAVE HAD HIM DOUBLECHK WITH THE PUSHBACK COORDINATOR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 458087: AFTER PUSHBACK, A FLAP PROB DEVELOPED DURING ENG START. ACFT B727-200 ROLLED FORWARD INTO TOW BAR CAUSING A BOLT IN NOSE STRUT TO BEND. ACFT WAS TAXIED BACK TO GATE AB WITH POSSIBLE NOSE GEAR DAMAGE AND POSSIBLY WITHOUT COMPLETING TAXI CHKLIST. FLT CANCELED. THE NEED TO CALL GND, COMPANY, MECHS, FLT ATTENDANTS, AND PAX DIVERTED ATTN OF POSITIVE ACFT CTL BY CREW. A SMALL PROB TURNED INTO A BIG ONE.

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.