Narrative:

On an A320 during 2-MAN pushback in san, the tug driver violated SOP repeatedly and intentionally. I was the PNF on this flight. The aircraft was fully ready for pushback with all checklists complete and the brakes released. The captain then requested pushback clearance. I contacted ground control and was told cleared to push following 1 inbound air carrier Y and 1 outbound air carrier Y behind you. To my surprise, our aircraft immediately began pushing back as this radio call was received. I told the captain to hold the push for 2 air carrier Y flts behind us. The captain was able to get the pushback stopped. However, we rolled back approximately 10 ft from the gate. As the 1ST inbound aircraft pulled into his gate behind us, ground once again told us we'd be cleared to push following the air carrier Y outbound in our alleyway. Again to my surprise, we began moving back and I had to reiterate to the captain that we hadn't received push clearance. The tug driver stopped us after another 10-20 ft of movement, but now we were blocking the outbound aircraft. Ground was surprised at our movement as well and told us 'air carrier X,' I told you to hold your position. I replied on the radio that we intended to hold position, but that we had a miscom with our tug driver. At about this time, I began monitoring the interphone channel and heard the tug driver exclaiming on the headset 'don't blame me for this! This isn't my fault!' at this time, I realized that our tug driver had a VHF radio with him and was actually acting on ATC calls without any direction from either of us, the flight crew. Ground then told us to pull ahead so air carrier Y could get out. Our tug driver did this even before the captain could get a word out to him. Once the 2ND air carrier Y cleared, there was a radio call from ground that I thought was for us, but I didn't hear the call sign clearly. I think the transmission was partially blocked. But as soon as this radio call was made, we started pushing back again. The captain just put his hands up in the air and said 'I didn't say a word to him' (the tug driver). We pushed back into the alleyway and then stopped. Ground once again called and cleared us to push onto taxiway a. Again, our tug driver pushed us onto the taxiway without any word from the captain. The captain completed the pushback communication SOP's and allowed the driver to disconnect. The tug driver was visibly angry as he drove away from the airplane, shaking his head and waving his arms angrily in the air. After receiving a salute and release from guidance (from the other ground crewman), we started engines and departed. From my perspective as first officer, the tug driver repeatedly and intentionally violated important SOP's during pushback. Unfortunately, I didn't hear the initial communication between the captain and the tug driver, however, I did listen to this after I realized the tug driver had a VHF radio and wasn't following our instructions. I believe the captain did exactly follow SOP's concerning communication with the push crew. It's just that this tug driver was controling the airplane on his own without any guidance from the aircrew. Supplemental information from acn 590124: I told the tug driver to 'stop the push.' we had moved about 4-5 ft off the jetbridge. The plane stopped and all was quiet on the ics with the tug driver. Since there was no reason to set the brakes and no reason to advise the tug driver he no longer had control of the aircraft, I left the situation 'as is.' there was some conversation from an aircraft questioning our intentions and about us blocking the aircraft. I overheard the first officer explaining to ground control that 'there had been a miscom between us and the tug driver.' over the ics at that time, I heard the tug driver exclaim 'what miscom? Don't blame me for this. This wasn't my fault, there's no miscom here!' at no time did I feel safety was a factor during the events leading up to the realization that the tug driver had a VHF radio and was listening to the ground controller. Since I was following SOP, I was not privy to the ground control communication. The inherent delay with the first officer relaying information to me created an overlapping communication confusion with actions being taken by the tug driver while I was receiving the information in a timely fashion, but after the actions had begun. Once again, I can state that at no time was safety of the aircraft in jeopardy, nor did we come close to any other aircraft, building, object or person, creating a safety hazard. What I did note was that, absent the VHF radio on the tug, none of these events would have taken place.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A320 FLT CREW HAS A DIFFICULT TIME IN STOPPING THEIR TUG DRIVER FROM BEING TOO PROACTIVE TO GND CTLR'S CLRNC WHEN HE WAS USING A PORTABLE VHF RECEIVER AND ACTED ON PUSHBACK CLRNC FROM GND CTLR PRIOR TO CAPT'S COMMANDS AT SAN, CA.

Narrative: ON AN A320 DURING 2-MAN PUSHBACK IN SAN, THE TUG DRIVER VIOLATED SOP REPEATEDLY AND INTENTIONALLY. I WAS THE PNF ON THIS FLT. THE ACFT WAS FULLY READY FOR PUSHBACK WITH ALL CHKLISTS COMPLETE AND THE BRAKES RELEASED. THE CAPT THEN REQUESTED PUSHBACK CLRNC. I CONTACTED GND CTL AND WAS TOLD CLRED TO PUSH FOLLOWING 1 INBOUND ACR Y AND 1 OUTBOUND ACR Y BEHIND YOU. TO MY SURPRISE, OUR ACFT IMMEDIATELY BEGAN PUSHING BACK AS THIS RADIO CALL WAS RECEIVED. I TOLD THE CAPT TO HOLD THE PUSH FOR 2 ACR Y FLTS BEHIND US. THE CAPT WAS ABLE TO GET THE PUSHBACK STOPPED. HOWEVER, WE ROLLED BACK APPROX 10 FT FROM THE GATE. AS THE 1ST INBOUND ACFT PULLED INTO HIS GATE BEHIND US, GND ONCE AGAIN TOLD US WE'D BE CLRED TO PUSH FOLLOWING THE ACR Y OUTBOUND IN OUR ALLEYWAY. AGAIN TO MY SURPRISE, WE BEGAN MOVING BACK AND I HAD TO REITERATE TO THE CAPT THAT WE HADN'T RECEIVED PUSH CLRNC. THE TUG DRIVER STOPPED US AFTER ANOTHER 10-20 FT OF MOVEMENT, BUT NOW WE WERE BLOCKING THE OUTBOUND ACFT. GND WAS SURPRISED AT OUR MOVEMENT AS WELL AND TOLD US 'ACR X,' I TOLD YOU TO HOLD YOUR POS. I REPLIED ON THE RADIO THAT WE INTENDED TO HOLD POS, BUT THAT WE HAD A MISCOM WITH OUR TUG DRIVER. AT ABOUT THIS TIME, I BEGAN MONITORING THE INTERPHONE CHANNEL AND HEARD THE TUG DRIVER EXCLAIMING ON THE HEADSET 'DON'T BLAME ME FOR THIS! THIS ISN'T MY FAULT!' AT THIS TIME, I REALIZED THAT OUR TUG DRIVER HAD A VHF RADIO WITH HIM AND WAS ACTUALLY ACTING ON ATC CALLS WITHOUT ANY DIRECTION FROM EITHER OF US, THE FLT CREW. GND THEN TOLD US TO PULL AHEAD SO ACR Y COULD GET OUT. OUR TUG DRIVER DID THIS EVEN BEFORE THE CAPT COULD GET A WORD OUT TO HIM. ONCE THE 2ND ACR Y CLRED, THERE WAS A RADIO CALL FROM GND THAT I THOUGHT WAS FOR US, BUT I DIDN'T HEAR THE CALL SIGN CLEARLY. I THINK THE XMISSION WAS PARTIALLY BLOCKED. BUT AS SOON AS THIS RADIO CALL WAS MADE, WE STARTED PUSHING BACK AGAIN. THE CAPT JUST PUT HIS HANDS UP IN THE AIR AND SAID 'I DIDN'T SAY A WORD TO HIM' (THE TUG DRIVER). WE PUSHED BACK INTO THE ALLEYWAY AND THEN STOPPED. GND ONCE AGAIN CALLED AND CLRED US TO PUSH ONTO TXWY A. AGAIN, OUR TUG DRIVER PUSHED US ONTO THE TXWY WITHOUT ANY WORD FROM THE CAPT. THE CAPT COMPLETED THE PUSHBACK COM SOP'S AND ALLOWED THE DRIVER TO DISCONNECT. THE TUG DRIVER WAS VISIBLY ANGRY AS HE DROVE AWAY FROM THE AIRPLANE, SHAKING HIS HEAD AND WAVING HIS ARMS ANGRILY IN THE AIR. AFTER RECEIVING A SALUTE AND RELEASE FROM GUIDANCE (FROM THE OTHER GND CREWMAN), WE STARTED ENGS AND DEPARTED. FROM MY PERSPECTIVE AS FO, THE TUG DRIVER REPEATEDLY AND INTENTIONALLY VIOLATED IMPORTANT SOP'S DURING PUSHBACK. UNFORTUNATELY, I DIDN'T HEAR THE INITIAL COM BTWN THE CAPT AND THE TUG DRIVER, HOWEVER, I DID LISTEN TO THIS AFTER I REALIZED THE TUG DRIVER HAD A VHF RADIO AND WASN'T FOLLOWING OUR INSTRUCTIONS. I BELIEVE THE CAPT DID EXACTLY FOLLOW SOP'S CONCERNING COM WITH THE PUSH CREW. IT'S JUST THAT THIS TUG DRIVER WAS CTLING THE AIRPLANE ON HIS OWN WITHOUT ANY GUIDANCE FROM THE AIRCREW. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 590124: I TOLD THE TUG DRIVER TO 'STOP THE PUSH.' WE HAD MOVED ABOUT 4-5 FT OFF THE JETBRIDGE. THE PLANE STOPPED AND ALL WAS QUIET ON THE ICS WITH THE TUG DRIVER. SINCE THERE WAS NO REASON TO SET THE BRAKES AND NO REASON TO ADVISE THE TUG DRIVER HE NO LONGER HAD CTL OF THE ACFT, I LEFT THE SIT 'AS IS.' THERE WAS SOME CONVERSATION FROM AN ACFT QUESTIONING OUR INTENTIONS AND ABOUT US BLOCKING THE ACFT. I OVERHEARD THE FO EXPLAINING TO GND CTL THAT 'THERE HAD BEEN A MISCOM BTWN US AND THE TUG DRIVER.' OVER THE ICS AT THAT TIME, I HEARD THE TUG DRIVER EXCLAIM 'WHAT MISCOM? DON'T BLAME ME FOR THIS. THIS WASN'T MY FAULT, THERE'S NO MISCOM HERE!' AT NO TIME DID I FEEL SAFETY WAS A FACTOR DURING THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE REALIZATION THAT THE TUG DRIVER HAD A VHF RADIO AND WAS LISTENING TO THE GND CTLR. SINCE I WAS FOLLOWING SOP, I WAS NOT PRIVY TO THE GND CTL COM. THE INHERENT DELAY WITH THE FO RELAYING INFO TO ME CREATED AN OVERLAPPING COM CONFUSION WITH ACTIONS BEING TAKEN BY THE TUG DRIVER WHILE I WAS RECEIVING THE INFO IN A TIMELY FASHION, BUT AFTER THE ACTIONS HAD BEGUN. ONCE AGAIN, I CAN STATE THAT AT NO TIME WAS SAFETY OF THE ACFT IN JEOPARDY, NOR DID WE COME CLOSE TO ANY OTHER ACFT, BUILDING, OBJECT OR PERSON, CREATING A SAFETY HAZARD. WHAT I DID NOTE WAS THAT, ABSENT THE VHF RADIO ON THE TUG, NONE OF THESE EVENTS WOULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE.

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.