Narrative:

We were to repos aircraft from xyz to orf after a long day of delays and cancellations. I performed the walkaround inspection and found no obvious discrepancies. The captain's side main gear wheels were checked. Upon completion of the load manifest and ATC clearance, the captain and I commenced the before start checklist. The captain had signaled the tug driver for brake release and the tug driver gave us the 'ok.' he hand signaled rather than calling over the headset because I was finishing the before start checklist audibly. Soon after receiving the clearance, the captain communicated over the headphones to the tug driver. He said 'parking brake released, steering disengaged, cleared to push.' the tug driver responded 'cleared to push.' she slowly started to push us back and after about 1 ft the tug jerked back and forth violently, then she commenced to push back again and the nose of the aircraft dropped suddenly! After the shock, I looked over at the parking brake handle and confirmed it was in the down and released position. Then I looked up to the electric hydraulic pump selectors and verified that they were in the 'off' position! I then exclaimed 'what the hell was that?' the tug driver said 'yeah, what the hell was that? Is the parking brake released?' I confirmed and the captain confirmed that it was released. The captain grabbed a gear pin from behind his seat and opened the dv window with it in hand. The ground crew did not respond so he proceeded out of the cockpit. I asked him on his way out 'do you want me to shut the airplane down?' he responded 'no, don't touch anything! Leave it exactly the way it is so that maintenance can figure out what happened!' I did as I was told and later followed the captain outside to look at the aircraft. The nose gear had folded backwards, in the wrong direction. It looked like the trunions simply spread apart to allow the gear to pop out of its joint. There was very little damage other than buckled skin from the nose coming to rest on the push rod! There was a little hydraulic fluid sprayed on pavement but not much. The mechanics were shocked at the lack of torn metal and lack of busted parts. I think 2 possibilities caused this to occur: 1) the tug was a very large B727, MD80 type tug with too much torque and mass to push a 30000 pound act safely. And when it jerked back and forth it caused nose gear to pop our of position. 2) the ground crew left the left (captain's side) main gear wheels chocked and when we started to push back, the aircraft torqued nose right and popped loose the nose gear!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN EMBRAER 135 INCURRED MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE NOSE GEAR ON A PUSHBACK ATTEMPT WITH THE L MAIN GEAR CHOCKED.

Narrative: WE WERE TO REPOS ACFT FROM XYZ TO ORF AFTER A LONG DAY OF DELAYS AND CANCELLATIONS. I PERFORMED THE WALKAROUND INSPECTION AND FOUND NO OBVIOUS DISCREPANCIES. THE CAPT'S SIDE MAIN GEAR WHEELS WERE CHKED. UPON COMPLETION OF THE LOAD MANIFEST AND ATC CLRNC, THE CAPT AND I COMMENCED THE BEFORE START CHKLIST. THE CAPT HAD SIGNALED THE TUG DRIVER FOR BRAKE RELEASE AND THE TUG DRIVER GAVE US THE 'OK.' HE HAND SIGNALED RATHER THAN CALLING OVER THE HEADSET BECAUSE I WAS FINISHING THE BEFORE START CHKLIST AUDIBLY. SOON AFTER RECEIVING THE CLRNC, THE CAPT COMMUNICATED OVER THE HEADPHONES TO THE TUG DRIVER. HE SAID 'PARKING BRAKE RELEASED, STEERING DISENGAGED, CLRED TO PUSH.' THE TUG DRIVER RESPONDED 'CLRED TO PUSH.' SHE SLOWLY STARTED TO PUSH US BACK AND AFTER ABOUT 1 FT THE TUG JERKED BACK AND FORTH VIOLENTLY, THEN SHE COMMENCED TO PUSH BACK AGAIN AND THE NOSE OF THE ACFT DROPPED SUDDENLY! AFTER THE SHOCK, I LOOKED OVER AT THE PARKING BRAKE HANDLE AND CONFIRMED IT WAS IN THE DOWN AND RELEASED POS. THEN I LOOKED UP TO THE ELECTRIC HYD PUMP SELECTORS AND VERIFIED THAT THEY WERE IN THE 'OFF' POS! I THEN EXCLAIMED 'WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?' THE TUG DRIVER SAID 'YEAH, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? IS THE PARKING BRAKE RELEASED?' I CONFIRMED AND THE CAPT CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS RELEASED. THE CAPT GRABBED A GEAR PIN FROM BEHIND HIS SEAT AND OPENED THE DV WINDOW WITH IT IN HAND. THE GND CREW DID NOT RESPOND SO HE PROCEEDED OUT OF THE COCKPIT. I ASKED HIM ON HIS WAY OUT 'DO YOU WANT ME TO SHUT THE AIRPLANE DOWN?' HE RESPONDED 'NO, DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING! LEAVE IT EXACTLY THE WAY IT IS SO THAT MAINT CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED!' I DID AS I WAS TOLD AND LATER FOLLOWED THE CAPT OUTSIDE TO LOOK AT THE ACFT. THE NOSE GEAR HAD FOLDED BACKWARDS, IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. IT LOOKED LIKE THE TRUNIONS SIMPLY SPREAD APART TO ALLOW THE GEAR TO POP OUT OF ITS JOINT. THERE WAS VERY LITTLE DAMAGE OTHER THAN BUCKLED SKIN FROM THE NOSE COMING TO REST ON THE PUSH ROD! THERE WAS A LITTLE HYD FLUID SPRAYED ON PAVEMENT BUT NOT MUCH. THE MECHS WERE SHOCKED AT THE LACK OF TORN METAL AND LACK OF BUSTED PARTS. I THINK 2 POSSIBILITIES CAUSED THIS TO OCCUR: 1) THE TUG WAS A VERY LARGE B727, MD80 TYPE TUG WITH TOO MUCH TORQUE AND MASS TO PUSH A 30000 LB ACT SAFELY. AND WHEN IT JERKED BACK AND FORTH IT CAUSED NOSE GEAR TO POP OUR OF POS. 2) THE GND CREW LEFT THE L (CAPT'S SIDE) MAIN GEAR WHEELS CHOCKED AND WHEN WE STARTED TO PUSH BACK, THE ACFT TORQUED NOSE R AND POPPED LOOSE THE NOSE GEAR!

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.