Narrative:

We were a crew of 3 operating a B727 pushing back at approximately XA20 am local out of ind for oma. A tug driver had driven up with a widebody transport tug instead of the usual sized vehicle because his normal tug was in the shop for maintenance. After communicating with the driver that our a-sys hydraulics were off and depressurized and the parking brakes were released he started to push back. Unfortunately the tug driver lost control of his vehicle and slammed into the aircraft, causing all of our necks to jerk back and the towbar to snap. He told us to set our brakes -- we were rolling backwards -- and after a delay to retrieve another towbar, we were pulled back into our spot. All 3 of us went down to inspect the damage and found the nosegear light broken and its housing horribly mangled. The nosegear itself looked undamaged. We asked the maintenance crew to inspect the nosegear and wheel well area, clean up the glass and housing parts, and inspect the tires in case they picked up glass during the tow-in. We proceeded back to the cockpit and wrote up the incident in the maintenance forms. After fixing the problem, the maintenance crew came into the cockpit, MEL'ed the nosewheel light, signed off the logbook and departed. We later pushed back and took off from ind without incident. On approach into oma we lowered the gear and got 3 green lights to indicate the landing gear was all down and locked. However, we also got the nosegear door light for out-of-sequence nosegear doors. We quickly consulted our 'red tab' emergency checklist, and after a quick review, I elected to land the aircraft. The landing was uneventful. After we parked the aircraft we found extensive damage to the wheel well area for the nosegear. The mechanics apparently didn't inspect the area as thoroughly as they should have after the pushback incident. Supplemental information from acn 547871: tug was 'chugging' with intermittent acceleration and deceleration on pushback, not constant steady pwred/pushback. After approximately 30-50 ft of pushback/moving, the bolts in the towbar connection to nosegear sheared, driving the towbar up into the taxi light/nose strut area, destroying the taxi light and attachment mechanisms. On final with the red door light and amber nosegear door light on, landing was uneventful. Omaha maintenance found main forward nosegear door linkage broken. (Reviewed emergency procedures checklist on approach.)

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B727 CARGO FLT LANDS AT OMA WITH ITS MASTER DOOR LIGHT INDICTING RED AND AMBER NOSEGEAR DOOR ON AFTER HAVING SUSTAINED A GND COLLISION WITH THE TUG AND BROKEN TOWBAR AT IND, IN.

Narrative: WE WERE A CREW OF 3 OPERATING A B727 PUSHING BACK AT APPROX XA20 AM LCL OUT OF IND FOR OMA. A TUG DRIVER HAD DRIVEN UP WITH A WDB TUG INSTEAD OF THE USUAL SIZED VEHICLE BECAUSE HIS NORMAL TUG WAS IN THE SHOP FOR MAINT. AFTER COMMUNICATING WITH THE DRIVER THAT OUR A-SYS HYDS WERE OFF AND DEPRESSURIZED AND THE PARKING BRAKES WERE RELEASED HE STARTED TO PUSH BACK. UNFORTUNATELY THE TUG DRIVER LOST CTL OF HIS VEHICLE AND SLAMMED INTO THE ACFT, CAUSING ALL OF OUR NECKS TO JERK BACK AND THE TOWBAR TO SNAP. HE TOLD US TO SET OUR BRAKES -- WE WERE ROLLING BACKWARDS -- AND AFTER A DELAY TO RETRIEVE ANOTHER TOWBAR, WE WERE PULLED BACK INTO OUR SPOT. ALL 3 OF US WENT DOWN TO INSPECT THE DAMAGE AND FOUND THE NOSEGEAR LIGHT BROKEN AND ITS HOUSING HORRIBLY MANGLED. THE NOSEGEAR ITSELF LOOKED UNDAMAGED. WE ASKED THE MAINT CREW TO INSPECT THE NOSEGEAR AND WHEEL WELL AREA, CLEAN UP THE GLASS AND HOUSING PARTS, AND INSPECT THE TIRES IN CASE THEY PICKED UP GLASS DURING THE TOW-IN. WE PROCEEDED BACK TO THE COCKPIT AND WROTE UP THE INCIDENT IN THE MAINT FORMS. AFTER FIXING THE PROB, THE MAINT CREW CAME INTO THE COCKPIT, MEL'ED THE NOSEWHEEL LIGHT, SIGNED OFF THE LOGBOOK AND DEPARTED. WE LATER PUSHED BACK AND TOOK OFF FROM IND WITHOUT INCIDENT. ON APCH INTO OMA WE LOWERED THE GEAR AND GOT 3 GREEN LIGHTS TO INDICATE THE LNDG GEAR WAS ALL DOWN AND LOCKED. HOWEVER, WE ALSO GOT THE NOSEGEAR DOOR LIGHT FOR OUT-OF-SEQUENCE NOSEGEAR DOORS. WE QUICKLY CONSULTED OUR 'RED TAB' EMER CHKLIST, AND AFTER A QUICK REVIEW, I ELECTED TO LAND THE ACFT. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. AFTER WE PARKED THE ACFT WE FOUND EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE WHEEL WELL AREA FOR THE NOSEGEAR. THE MECHS APPARENTLY DIDN'T INSPECT THE AREA AS THOROUGHLY AS THEY SHOULD HAVE AFTER THE PUSHBACK INCIDENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 547871: TUG WAS 'CHUGGING' WITH INTERMITTENT ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION ON PUSHBACK, NOT CONSTANT STEADY PWRED/PUSHBACK. AFTER APPROX 30-50 FT OF PUSHBACK/MOVING, THE BOLTS IN THE TOWBAR CONNECTION TO NOSEGEAR SHEARED, DRIVING THE TOWBAR UP INTO THE TAXI LIGHT/NOSE STRUT AREA, DESTROYING THE TAXI LIGHT AND ATTACHMENT MECHANISMS. ON FINAL WITH THE RED DOOR LIGHT AND AMBER NOSEGEAR DOOR LIGHT ON, LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. OMAHA MAINT FOUND MAIN FORWARD NOSEGEAR DOOR LINKAGE BROKEN. (REVIEWED EMER PROCS CHKLIST ON APCH.)

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.