An A319 pilot notified the ground crew of pushback clearance and released the parking brake. The air...

Attributes
ACN	732953
Time
Date	200703
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	A319
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : parked ground : pushback
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : atp pilot : multi engine pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 210 flight time total : 15000 flight time type : 3000
ASRS Report	732953
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Events
Anomaly	conflict : ground less severe ground encounters : vehicle non adherence : company policies non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure other anomaly
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Company Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Ambiguous

Narrative:

Parked at gate ZZZ ground crew hooked tug up to aircraft while maintenance was on board. It was a firm hook up as the captain and I both looked at each other. Once maintenance finished up an hour later we closed the aircraft door. I called for a pushback. I then turned to the captain and told him we were cleared for pushback. He got on the interphone to the ground crew and told them we were cleared for pushback -- brakes released. With no acknowledgement from the ground crew the aircraft started to push on its own. Within seconds the aircraft had pushed back about 10 ft and the tug had jack-knifed. The captain tried to raise the ground crew but no one was there. I called maintenance frequency and told them we had a runaway tug and possible nose gear damage. When they arrived; there was no ground crew (there never was) and the tug had been left in gear with the towbar attached to the aircraft. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that more of this type of ground crew behavior is being observed as ground personnel are brought into the air carrier but not thoroughly trained.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A319 PILOT NOTIFIED THE GND CREW OF PUSHBACK CLRNC AND RELEASED THE PARKING BRAKE. THE ACFT ROLLED BACK PUSHED BY A TUG IN GEAR WITH NO GND CREW.

Narrative: PARKED AT GATE ZZZ GND CREW HOOKED TUG UP TO ACFT WHILE MAINT WAS ON BOARD. IT WAS A FIRM HOOK UP AS THE CAPT AND I BOTH LOOKED AT EACH OTHER. ONCE MAINT FINISHED UP AN HR LATER WE CLOSED THE ACFT DOOR. I CALLED FOR A PUSHBACK. I THEN TURNED TO THE CAPT AND TOLD HIM WE WERE CLRED FOR PUSHBACK. HE GOT ON THE INTERPHONE TO THE GND CREW AND TOLD THEM WE WERE CLRED FOR PUSHBACK -- BRAKES RELEASED. WITH NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM THE GND CREW THE ACFT STARTED TO PUSH ON ITS OWN. WITHIN SECONDS THE ACFT HAD PUSHED BACK ABOUT 10 FT AND THE TUG HAD JACK-KNIFED. THE CAPT TRIED TO RAISE THE GND CREW BUT NO ONE WAS THERE. I CALLED MAINT FREQ AND TOLD THEM WE HAD A RUNAWAY TUG AND POSSIBLE NOSE GEAR DAMAGE. WHEN THEY ARRIVED; THERE WAS NO GND CREW (THERE NEVER WAS) AND THE TUG HAD BEEN LEFT IN GEAR WITH THE TOWBAR ATTACHED TO THE ACFT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: REPORTER STATED THAT MORE OF THIS TYPE OF GND CREW BEHAVIOR IS BEING OBSERVED AS GND PERSONNEL ARE BROUGHT INTO THE ACR BUT NOT THOROUGHLY TRAINED.

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.

An A319 pilot notified the ground crew of pushback clearance and released the parking brake. The aircraft rolled back pushed by a tug in gear with no ground crew.