B737 strikes ground vehicle when crew taxies without clearance from ground crew at sea, wa.

Attributes
ACN	462542
Time
Date	200002
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : sea.airport
State Reference	WA
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737-700
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : taxi ground : pushback
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : multi engine pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 9200 flight time type : 3000
ASRS Report	462542
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : multi engine pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	ground encounters : vehicle non adherence : published procedure non adherence : company policies
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other other : 3
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	other other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

Pushed back from gate and started both engines. Told pushback crew to disconnect and go to hand signals. Both first officer and I heard the ground crew acknowledge. Did our after start checklist, called ground for taxi. Both first officer and I looked around and saw nothing near the aircraft. I released brakes and started to roll forward. We rolled 5 ft and I caught a marshaller out of the corner of my eye running forward with crossed wands. We stopped, but aircraft taxi light contacted the tow bar as they were pulling away. Neither the first officer nor I could see the tug or pushback crew. The ground guys need to be in full view of our cockpit. We need the pushback crew to be in voice contact with us until all equipment is clear of the aircraft. We have several tugs with flags on them. All tugs should somehow remain visible (flags or something) so the flight crew knows for certain they are clear!

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 STRIKES GND VEHICLE WHEN CREW TAXIES WITHOUT CLRNC FROM GND CREW AT SEA, WA.

Narrative: PUSHED BACK FROM GATE AND STARTED BOTH ENGS. TOLD PUSHBACK CREW TO DISCONNECT AND GO TO HAND SIGNALS. BOTH FO AND I HEARD THE GND CREW ACKNOWLEDGE. DID OUR AFTER START CHKLIST, CALLED GND FOR TAXI. BOTH FO AND I LOOKED AROUND AND SAW NOTHING NEAR THE ACFT. I RELEASED BRAKES AND STARTED TO ROLL FORWARD. WE ROLLED 5 FT AND I CAUGHT A MARSHALLER OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE RUNNING FORWARD WITH CROSSED WANDS. WE STOPPED, BUT ACFT TAXI LIGHT CONTACTED THE TOW BAR AS THEY WERE PULLING AWAY. NEITHER THE FO NOR I COULD SEE THE TUG OR PUSHBACK CREW. THE GND GUYS NEED TO BE IN FULL VIEW OF OUR COCKPIT. WE NEED THE PUSHBACK CREW TO BE IN VOICE CONTACT WITH US UNTIL ALL EQUIP IS CLR OF THE ACFT. WE HAVE SEVERAL TUGS WITH FLAGS ON THEM. ALL TUGS SHOULD SOMEHOW REMAIN VISIBLE (FLAGS OR SOMETHING) SO THE FLC KNOWS FOR CERTAIN THEY ARE CLR!

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.