Narrative:

During pushback from gate at bna, the tow bar 'shearpin' broke (hydraulics in nose gear should have a bypass pin), thereby separating aircraft from tug/towbar. Left engine was being started at the time. Interphone communication with ground was lost at the same time crew noticed aircraft was now rolling freely backward. Captain elected to use forward thrust on left engine to successfully stop aircraft. This was in lieu of using brakes, which may have caused a 'tailtip'. Right main gear went off ramp concrete onto soft soil by two feet. Passengers eventually disembarked via aft airstairs normally with no injuries. That was the easy part. What really is the scary part is not that the tow bar pin broke, allowing the aircraft to freely roll backward; but that there is a major steep, and deep drop off into a ravine about 40' from the edge of the concrete. There is no curb or wall to prevent our (or any) aircraft from rolling backward into ravine. We are more aware of murphy's law than we ever have been, but can't the folks at bna do something more than a little area of soft soil in that area to prevent a disaster?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR CAPT EXTOLLS THE DANGERS OF RAMP OPERATION AT BNA WITH SEVERE DROP OFF NEAR THE RAMP AREA. ASKS FOR ARPT AUTHORITIES TO IMPROVE HAZARDOUS SITUATION.

Narrative: DURING PUSHBACK FROM GATE AT BNA, THE TOW BAR 'SHEARPIN' BROKE (HYDS IN NOSE GEAR SHOULD HAVE A BYPASS PIN), THEREBY SEPARATING ACFT FROM TUG/TOWBAR. L ENG WAS BEING STARTED AT THE TIME. INTERPHONE COM WITH GND WAS LOST AT THE SAME TIME CREW NOTICED ACFT WAS NOW ROLLING FREELY BACKWARD. CAPT ELECTED TO USE FORWARD THRUST ON L ENG TO SUCCESSFULLY STOP ACFT. THIS WAS IN LIEU OF USING BRAKES, WHICH MAY HAVE CAUSED A 'TAILTIP'. R MAIN GEAR WENT OFF RAMP CONCRETE ONTO SOFT SOIL BY TWO FEET. PAXS EVENTUALLY DISEMBARKED VIA AFT AIRSTAIRS NORMALLY WITH NO INJURIES. THAT WAS THE EASY PART. WHAT REALLY IS THE SCARY PART IS NOT THAT THE TOW BAR PIN BROKE, ALLOWING THE ACFT TO FREELY ROLL BACKWARD; BUT THAT THERE IS A MAJOR STEEP, AND DEEP DROP OFF INTO A RAVINE ABOUT 40' FROM THE EDGE OF THE CONCRETE. THERE IS NO CURB OR WALL TO PREVENT OUR (OR ANY) ACFT FROM ROLLING BACKWARD INTO RAVINE. WE ARE MORE AWARE OF MURPHY'S LAW THAN WE EVER HAVE BEEN, BUT CAN'T THE FOLKS AT BNA DO SOMETHING MORE THAN A LITTLE AREA OF SOFT SOIL IN THAT AREA TO PREVENT A DISASTER?

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.