Narrative:

MD90 aircraft brought to gate from hangar. APU generator and left air conditioning pack placarded inoperative. During my initial brief to first officer, I stated we would not rush. I do not feel we did. Due to inoperative APU, generator started left engine at gate. During start of right engine, first officer noticed left reverser fault light annunciation. Push crew was disconnected per procedure, receiving salute and display of bypass pin. QRH stated maintenance action required. First officer contacted maintenance, kept aircraft parked in alleyway. During troubleshooting with maintenance via VHF, another maintenance technician approached aircraft in a small maintenance vehicle indicating he was hooking up to interphone. With maintenance problem not resolved, all parties agreed we needed to return to gate. I stated to the maintenance technician on the interphone 'I agree, we will go back to the gate, see you at the gate.' first officer obtained taxi clearance back to gate. I discussed with first officer if we had enough room for a direct left turn back to the gate. We both agreed we did. Turning left, I felt the nosewheel almost immediately go over center all the way left. Nose tiller was frozen, and aircraft began to go to the right. I applied brakes, looked left and then saw the maintenance cart and technician, and realized we had hit the cart, causing the nose gear to over center. Unsure if maintenance technician was injured, we shut down the left engine and called paramedics and notified operations. Other than the initial brief glimpse of the maintenance cart, neither the cart nor the technician were visible from the cockpit. I assumed my last conversation had cleared him off. In the future, I will ensure all vehicles are either visible to me or a second safety person is visible to me from the cockpit just as we do for pushback procedures. Supplemental information from acn 482152: I contacted lax ground control and told them we needed to hold in the alley to troubleshoot a problem. We read the QRH procedure for reverser fault and it stated that maintenance action is required. I contacted maintenance. Ground control called, so captain coordinated with maintenance while I coordinated with ground control. I was not monitoring ics nor maintenance. I asked ground to send paramedics. They never made it to the airplane and our ground personnel took the maintenance technician to medical. The aircraft was towed to the gate.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD90 PIC TAXIES HIS ACFT INTO A MAINT VEHICLE WHEN ATTEMPTING A 1 ENG TAXI BACK INTO THE GATE AFTER PUSHBACK AND DISCOVERY OF AN ACFT EQUIP FAULT AT LAX, CA.

Narrative: MD90 ACFT BROUGHT TO GATE FROM HANGAR. APU GENERATOR AND L AIR CONDITIONING PACK PLACARDED INOP. DURING MY INITIAL BRIEF TO FO, I STATED WE WOULD NOT RUSH. I DO NOT FEEL WE DID. DUE TO INOP APU, GENERATOR STARTED L ENG AT GATE. DURING START OF R ENG, FO NOTICED L REVERSER FAULT LIGHT ANNUNCIATION. PUSH CREW WAS DISCONNECTED PER PROC, RECEIVING SALUTE AND DISPLAY OF BYPASS PIN. QRH STATED MAINT ACTION REQUIRED. FO CONTACTED MAINT, KEPT ACFT PARKED IN ALLEYWAY. DURING TROUBLESHOOTING WITH MAINT VIA VHF, ANOTHER MAINT TECHNICIAN APCHED ACFT IN A SMALL MAINT VEHICLE INDICATING HE WAS HOOKING UP TO INTERPHONE. WITH MAINT PROB NOT RESOLVED, ALL PARTIES AGREED WE NEEDED TO RETURN TO GATE. I STATED TO THE MAINT TECHNICIAN ON THE INTERPHONE 'I AGREE, WE WILL GO BACK TO THE GATE, SEE YOU AT THE GATE.' FO OBTAINED TAXI CLRNC BACK TO GATE. I DISCUSSED WITH FO IF WE HAD ENOUGH ROOM FOR A DIRECT L TURN BACK TO THE GATE. WE BOTH AGREED WE DID. TURNING L, I FELT THE NOSEWHEEL ALMOST IMMEDIATELY GO OVER CTR ALL THE WAY L. NOSE TILLER WAS FROZEN, AND ACFT BEGAN TO GO TO THE R. I APPLIED BRAKES, LOOKED L AND THEN SAW THE MAINT CART AND TECHNICIAN, AND REALIZED WE HAD HIT THE CART, CAUSING THE NOSE GEAR TO OVER CTR. UNSURE IF MAINT TECHNICIAN WAS INJURED, WE SHUT DOWN THE L ENG AND CALLED PARAMEDICS AND NOTIFIED OPS. OTHER THAN THE INITIAL BRIEF GLIMPSE OF THE MAINT CART, NEITHER THE CART NOR THE TECHNICIAN WERE VISIBLE FROM THE COCKPIT. I ASSUMED MY LAST CONVERSATION HAD CLRED HIM OFF. IN THE FUTURE, I WILL ENSURE ALL VEHICLES ARE EITHER VISIBLE TO ME OR A SECOND SAFETY PERSON IS VISIBLE TO ME FROM THE COCKPIT JUST AS WE DO FOR PUSHBACK PROCS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 482152: I CONTACTED LAX GND CTL AND TOLD THEM WE NEEDED TO HOLD IN THE ALLEY TO TROUBLESHOOT A PROB. WE READ THE QRH PROC FOR REVERSER FAULT AND IT STATED THAT MAINT ACTION IS REQUIRED. I CONTACTED MAINT. GND CTL CALLED, SO CAPT COORDINATED WITH MAINT WHILE I COORDINATED WITH GND CTL. I WAS NOT MONITORING ICS NOR MAINT. I ASKED GND TO SEND PARAMEDICS. THEY NEVER MADE IT TO THE AIRPLANE AND OUR GND PERSONNEL TOOK THE MAINT TECHNICIAN TO MEDICAL. THE ACFT WAS TOWED TO THE GATE.

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.