Narrative:

Performing first officer duties for new captain returning to seat after being back to first officer duties for several months. After pushback; ground crew beat on side of aircraft repeatedly for several mins. We called operations to have them ask the ground crew what they were beating on. The contract supervisor came on the headset and told us they had to beat on the door to get the latch to pop up. We called maintenance and they came out and looked at the airplane and said we needed to return to the gate to repair the latch. Upon inspection; it was discovered that there was a crack in the structure due to the portion of the latch hanging out and being beat into the structure. We also wrote up the tug being approximately 95 degrees to the aircraft centerline and perhaps past the tow limits with the scissors connected. Maintenance found some damage in the nose gear retract sequencing with the doors. Flight canceled and airplane taken to the hangar. Better training for ramp crew so they understand that forcing anything on the airplane is not necessary and to call maintenance. Supplemental information from acn 752530: ground crew pushed us out and stopped the tug about 95 degrees to the aircraft centerline. While working to unhook the tow bar; we started hearing a tremendous amount of pounding on the airplane. As we could not see them and had already told them to disconnect; we were unable to figure out why they were beating on it so hard but assumed it had to be difficulty unhooking the tow bar due to the excessive angle they stopped us at. We asked operations to have the rampers come back out and tell us what they were doing. He informed us that the communication door access panel wouldn't close right so they had to beat on it to get it closed. We asked maintenance to come out and look at it and; upon inspecting it; they found a broken bottom latch on the door. We taxied back in to the gate and upon further inspection found where the bottom latch contacted the airframe had been cracked due to the pounding on the communication door with the latch pinched between the airframe and the door. We also asked them to look at the nose gear strut due to the excessive angle we were stopped. They found scraping inside the nosewheel well; and at that point they canceled our flight.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737 NOSE COM PANEL DOOR HINGE AND NOSE GEAR RETRACT SEQUENCING VALVE WERE DAMAGED BY THE PUSH BACK CREW'S IMPROPER PROCEDURES.

Narrative: PERFORMING FO DUTIES FOR NEW CAPT RETURNING TO SEAT AFTER BEING BACK TO FO DUTIES FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. AFTER PUSHBACK; GND CREW BEAT ON SIDE OF ACFT REPEATEDLY FOR SEVERAL MINS. WE CALLED OPS TO HAVE THEM ASK THE GND CREW WHAT THEY WERE BEATING ON. THE CONTRACT SUPVR CAME ON THE HEADSET AND TOLD US THEY HAD TO BEAT ON THE DOOR TO GET THE LATCH TO POP UP. WE CALLED MAINT AND THEY CAME OUT AND LOOKED AT THE AIRPLANE AND SAID WE NEEDED TO RETURN TO THE GATE TO REPAIR THE LATCH. UPON INSPECTION; IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THERE WAS A CRACK IN THE STRUCTURE DUE TO THE PORTION OF THE LATCH HANGING OUT AND BEING BEAT INTO THE STRUCTURE. WE ALSO WROTE UP THE TUG BEING APPROX 95 DEGS TO THE ACFT CTRLINE AND PERHAPS PAST THE TOW LIMITS WITH THE SCISSORS CONNECTED. MAINT FOUND SOME DAMAGE IN THE NOSE GEAR RETRACT SEQUENCING WITH THE DOORS. FLT CANCELED AND AIRPLANE TAKEN TO THE HANGAR. BETTER TRAINING FOR RAMP CREW SO THEY UNDERSTAND THAT FORCING ANYTHING ON THE AIRPLANE IS NOT NECESSARY AND TO CALL MAINT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 752530: GND CREW PUSHED US OUT AND STOPPED THE TUG ABOUT 95 DEGS TO THE ACFT CTRLINE. WHILE WORKING TO UNHOOK THE TOW BAR; WE STARTED HEARING A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF POUNDING ON THE AIRPLANE. AS WE COULD NOT SEE THEM AND HAD ALREADY TOLD THEM TO DISCONNECT; WE WERE UNABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHY THEY WERE BEATING ON IT SO HARD BUT ASSUMED IT HAD TO BE DIFFICULTY UNHOOKING THE TOW BAR DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE ANGLE THEY STOPPED US AT. WE ASKED OPS TO HAVE THE RAMPERS COME BACK OUT AND TELL US WHAT THEY WERE DOING. HE INFORMED US THAT THE COM DOOR ACCESS PANEL WOULDN'T CLOSE RIGHT SO THEY HAD TO BEAT ON IT TO GET IT CLOSED. WE ASKED MAINT TO COME OUT AND LOOK AT IT AND; UPON INSPECTING IT; THEY FOUND A BROKEN BOTTOM LATCH ON THE DOOR. WE TAXIED BACK IN TO THE GATE AND UPON FURTHER INSPECTION FOUND WHERE THE BOTTOM LATCH CONTACTED THE AIRFRAME HAD BEEN CRACKED DUE TO THE POUNDING ON THE COM DOOR WITH THE LATCH PINCHED BTWN THE AIRFRAME AND THE DOOR. WE ALSO ASKED THEM TO LOOK AT THE NOSE GEAR STRUT DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE ANGLE WE WERE STOPPED. THEY FOUND SCRAPING INSIDE THE NOSEWHEEL WELL; AND AT THAT POINT THEY CANCELED OUR FLT.

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.