Narrative:

Aircraft X was being taxied out for flight. Flight departed 5 mins early with DF337 #2 system ECAM fault for brake channel inoperative. On taxi, crew stated they lost nosewheel steering and brakes. The brakes were severely applied on the right gear, causing aircraft to swerve to the right, and right gear tires being ground off as brakes locked up on that gear. The left gear ran over 1 taxi light, crushing it. ZZZ maintenance was asked to go get aircraft off taxiway. ZZZ city operations met the maintenance team at the gate and immediately escorted maintenance to the paralleling taxiway to runway 17, and then departed the immediate area to an area some 3000 yards away in front of the fire station. There was at least 1 other city airport operations vehicle and 1 police vehicle at that location. The aircraft mechanics plugged a head set into the aircraft upon arrival at aircraft and never lost direct communications with the crew until they towed and parked aircraft at another gate. The airport operations people never escorted the mechanics or approached the aircraft again after the first initial escort to the aircraft. After the aircraft was towed to the gate, the airport operations person approached me and asked who was in charge. I was the supervisor in charge of the aircraft and mechanics working the tire change and told him I was in charge, I guess. Person X then advised me that we had moved the aircraft without permission and we had towed it across an active runway. When I followed up with the mechanics that were in direct contact with the crew on flight, the maintenance person stated that they had requested clearance to tow aircraft, gave crew direction of route to tow and obtained clearance to tow from crew. At no time did the airport city operations vehicle ever approach aircraft, nor people that were towing aircraft, after the first escort to get out to aircraft. They never (operations) escorted aircraft back to the gate. Supplemental information from acn 615539: aircraft experienced total brake and steering failure with a sharp veer to the left. Both captain and first officer applied full right tiller/brake with no results. Captain then turned off antiskid/nosewheel steering switch resulting in activation of back-up braking system. The captain then stopped the aircraft on the taxiway. During the event, aircraft crossed taxiway edge line and impacted a taxiway light.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AIRBUS 320 BEING TOWED FROM A TXWY EXCURSION CAUSED BY STEERING FAILURE IS RPTED BY CITY OPS AS XING AN ACTIVE RWY.

Narrative: ACFT X WAS BEING TAXIED OUT FOR FLT. FLT DEPARTED 5 MINS EARLY WITH DF337 #2 SYS ECAM FAULT FOR BRAKE CHANNEL INOP. ON TAXI, CREW STATED THEY LOST NOSEWHEEL STEERING AND BRAKES. THE BRAKES WERE SEVERELY APPLIED ON THE R GEAR, CAUSING ACFT TO SWERVE TO THE R, AND R GEAR TIRES BEING GND OFF AS BRAKES LOCKED UP ON THAT GEAR. THE L GEAR RAN OVER 1 TAXI LIGHT, CRUSHING IT. ZZZ MAINT WAS ASKED TO GO GET ACFT OFF TXWY. ZZZ CITY OPS MET THE MAINT TEAM AT THE GATE AND IMMEDIATELY ESCORTED MAINT TO THE PARALLELING TXWY TO RWY 17, AND THEN DEPARTED THE IMMEDIATE AREA TO AN AREA SOME 3000 YARDS AWAY IN FRONT OF THE FIRE STATION. THERE WAS AT LEAST 1 OTHER CITY ARPT OPS VEHICLE AND 1 POLICE VEHICLE AT THAT LOCATION. THE ACFT MECHS PLUGGED A HEAD SET INTO THE ACFT UPON ARR AT ACFT AND NEVER LOST DIRECT COMS WITH THE CREW UNTIL THEY TOWED AND PARKED ACFT AT ANOTHER GATE. THE ARPT OPS PEOPLE NEVER ESCORTED THE MECHS OR APCHED THE ACFT AGAIN AFTER THE FIRST INITIAL ESCORT TO THE ACFT. AFTER THE ACFT WAS TOWED TO THE GATE, THE ARPT OPS PERSON APCHED ME AND ASKED WHO WAS IN CHARGE. I WAS THE SUPVR IN CHARGE OF THE ACFT AND MECHS WORKING THE TIRE CHANGE AND TOLD HIM I WAS IN CHARGE, I GUESS. PERSON X THEN ADVISED ME THAT WE HAD MOVED THE ACFT WITHOUT PERMISSION AND WE HAD TOWED IT ACROSS AN ACTIVE RWY. WHEN I FOLLOWED UP WITH THE MECHS THAT WERE IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE CREW ON FLT, THE MAINT PERSON STATED THAT THEY HAD REQUESTED CLRNC TO TOW ACFT, GAVE CREW DIRECTION OF RTE TO TOW AND OBTAINED CLRNC TO TOW FROM CREW. AT NO TIME DID THE ARPT CITY OPS VEHICLE EVER APCH ACFT, NOR PEOPLE THAT WERE TOWING ACFT, AFTER THE FIRST ESCORT TO GET OUT TO ACFT. THEY NEVER (OPS) ESCORTED ACFT BACK TO THE GATE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 615539: ACFT EXPERIENCED TOTAL BRAKE AND STEERING FAILURE WITH A SHARP VEER TO THE L. BOTH CAPT AND FO APPLIED FULL R TILLER/BRAKE WITH NO RESULTS. CAPT THEN TURNED OFF ANTISKID/NOSEWHEEL STEERING SWITCH RESULTING IN ACTIVATION OF BACK-UP BRAKING SYS. THE CAPT THEN STOPPED THE ACFT ON THE TXWY. DURING THE EVENT, ACFT CROSSED TXWY EDGE LINE AND IMPACTED A TXWY LIGHT.

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.