An air carrier pilot at gso comments on the non professional and dangerous behavior by the ground pu...

Narrative:

We were ready to push from the gate in gso. The tow truck driver sat on the tug with the headset connected. Suddenly; he took his headset off; jumped from the tug and sprinted as fast as he could into the ramp office. After short time a different ramp worker occupied the tug driver's seat. When questioned what had happened he replied that the first tug driver wanted to watch a televised sporting event which had apparently started while we were asking for the push. The new driver then proceeded to push us from the gate. After approximately 20 yards; he stopped the push briefly before resuming it. Upon him pushing us again it appeared the airplane was moving faster than the tug. After one or two seconds the tug seemed to be back in its normal position. He pushed us for another three yards before the airplane started moving faster than the tug again. The tug driver began to laugh and pointed to the nose gear. I then observed a ramp worker who jumped underneath the nose of the airplane apparently to pick up the tow bar which had disconnected from the tug and was dragged by the nose gear. At the same time the tug driver was trying to catch up with the airplane in an attempt to reconnect the tow bar to the tug; all this while the airplane was still in motion. The captain asked the tug driver if he should apply the brakes. At that time the driver; for the first time; reestablished communications with the cockpit and asked for the brakes. He also stopped and we were able to see that the tow bar indeed had disconnected from the tug. The ground crew then disconnected the tow bar from the airplane; hooked it back up to the tug and drove off. At no time did the tug driver; who was wearing a headset; tell us about the disconnect. We had to ask him. Another ramp worker was trying to reconnect the tow bar to the tug while the airplane and tug were moving. Had the captain applied the brakes without warning the tug driver; the ramp worker could have been pinned between the tug and the airplane. The first tug driver abandoned his work position to watch a televised sporting event. The whole push crew acted unprofessional and thought that it was funny that the tow bar had disconnected. They were never aware of the severity of the situation.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR PLT AT GSO COMMENTS ON THE NON PROFESSIONAL AND DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR BY THE GND PUSH BACK CREW PRIOR TO AND DURING THE PUSH BACK. THE TUG TOW BAR WAS NOT CONNECTED TO THE ACFT.

Narrative: WE WERE READY TO PUSH FROM THE GATE IN GSO. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER SAT ON THE TUG WITH THE HEADSET CONNECTED. SUDDENLY; HE TOOK HIS HEADSET OFF; JUMPED FROM THE TUG AND SPRINTED AS FAST AS HE COULD INTO THE RAMP OFFICE. AFTER SHORT TIME A DIFFERENT RAMP WORKER OCCUPIED THE TUG DRIVER'S SEAT. WHEN QUESTIONED WHAT HAD HAPPENED HE REPLIED THAT THE FIRST TUG DRIVER WANTED TO WATCH A TELEVISED SPORTING EVENT WHICH HAD APPARENTLY STARTED WHILE WE WERE ASKING FOR THE PUSH. THE NEW DRIVER THEN PROCEEDED TO PUSH US FROM THE GATE. AFTER APPROX 20 YARDS; HE STOPPED THE PUSH BRIEFLY BEFORE RESUMING IT. UPON HIM PUSHING US AGAIN IT APPEARED THE AIRPLANE WAS MOVING FASTER THAN THE TUG. AFTER ONE OR TWO SECONDS THE TUG SEEMED TO BE BACK IN ITS NORMAL POSITION. HE PUSHED US FOR ANOTHER THREE YARDS BEFORE THE AIRPLANE STARTED MOVING FASTER THAN THE TUG AGAIN. THE TUG DRIVER BEGAN TO LAUGH AND POINTED TO THE NOSE GEAR. I THEN OBSERVED A RAMP WORKER WHO JUMPED UNDERNEATH THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE APPARENTLY TO PICK UP THE TOW BAR WHICH HAD DISCONNECTED FROM THE TUG AND WAS DRAGGED BY THE NOSE GEAR. AT THE SAME TIME THE TUG DRIVER WAS TRYING TO CATCH UP WITH THE AIRPLANE IN AN ATTEMPT TO RECONNECT THE TOW BAR TO THE TUG; ALL THIS WHILE THE AIRPLANE WAS STILL IN MOTION. THE CAPT ASKED THE TUG DRIVER IF HE SHOULD APPLY THE BRAKES. AT THAT TIME THE DRIVER; FOR THE FIRST TIME; REESTABLISHED COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE COCKPIT AND ASKED FOR THE BRAKES. HE ALSO STOPPED AND WE WERE ABLE TO SEE THAT THE TOW BAR INDEED HAD DISCONNECTED FROM THE TUG. THE GND CREW THEN DISCONNECTED THE TOW BAR FROM THE AIRPLANE; HOOKED IT BACK UP TO THE TUG AND DROVE OFF. AT NO TIME DID THE TUG DRIVER; WHO WAS WEARING A HEADSET; TELL US ABOUT THE DISCONNECT. WE HAD TO ASK HIM. ANOTHER RAMP WORKER WAS TRYING TO RECONNECT THE TOW BAR TO THE TUG WHILE THE AIRPLANE AND TUG WERE MOVING. HAD THE CAPT APPLIED THE BRAKES WITHOUT WARNING THE TUG DRIVER; THE RAMP WORKER COULD HAVE BEEN PINNED BETWEEN THE TUG AND THE AIRPLANE. THE FIRST TUG DRIVER ABANDONED HIS WORK POSITION TO WATCH A TELEVISED SPORTING EVENT. THE WHOLE PUSH CREW ACTED UNPROFESSIONAL AND THOUGHT THAT IT WAS FUNNY THAT THE TOW BAR HAD DISCONNECTED. THEY WERE NEVER AWARE OF THE SEVERITY OF THE SITUATION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.

Attributes
ACN	684304
Time
Date	200601
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : gso.airport
State Reference	NC
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-83
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : pushback
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
ASRS Report	684304
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Events
Anomaly	conflict : ground critical ground encounters : person non adherence : published procedure non adherence : company policies other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other other : 4
Resolutory Action	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Company
Primary Problem	Company

An air carrier pilot at gso comments on the non professional and dangerous behavior by the ground push back crew prior to and during the push back. The tug tow bar was not connected to the aircraft.