Narrative:

First officer and myself were doing our cockpit setup while parked at gate in las. Ramp used hand signal to ask my permission to pull the ground power. The ramper was very close to the nose of the aircraft and barely visible beyond the nose of the aircraft. The lighting of the ramp area at this gate is poor. I gave the ramper the thumbs up sign to remove ground power and turned around in my seat and was talking to the gate agent about a cockpit jumpseat request. Several seconds later the first flight attendant yelled 'someone is moving the jetway!' I turned to my left to see the jetway moving forward and realized that the jetway was unmanned and that the aircraft was rolling backwards. I immediately stepped on the brakes and set the parking brake to stop us. The ramp had pulled the ground power and the chocks. I did not want the chocks pulled because I had not finished my flow and the brakes were not set yet. If the ramper signaled to pull the chocks also I did not see it. The aircraft rolled 4-5 ft and contacted the jetway bending an attachment rod on the forward entry door and cracked the fiberglass slide cover. Fortunately we were finished boarding and there was no traffic through the door and no one was injured. The ramp at this gate was recently torn out and redone and obviously has a steep slope to it as the aircraft was hooked up to the push tug and dragged off with us. A ramper came up several mins after the aircraft was pulled back forward and told us that the parking brake tension is off and the brakes are not set properly on the tug. It seems that a sequence of several factors contributed to the mishap. Miscom, poor lighting, indistinct signaling, improper brake setting on push tug, diversion of crew's attention when aircraft began to roll. Suggestions for prevention of further occurrences: 1) always keep aircraft brakes set at sloped ramps. Put up a sign on the jetway instructing crews to 'keep brakes set' as they have at several gates in phx. 2) ensure adequate lighting of ramp area. (Gate xx in las is well lit and dramatically lighter than xy.) 3) at night, have ramp call us on interphone when asking to pull chocks and ground power. Supplemental information from acn 603886: the flight attendants yelled that the jetbridge was moving. As we both looked left we realized that the plane was rolling backwards. We soon learned that the ground crew had pulled the chocks when they pulled the power. The tow tug was hooked to the aircraft but we were told the parking brake tension was not correct and when the aircraft rolled it pulled the tug with it. There is also a light on the nose gear that indicates if the parking brake is set, and the ground crew is supposed to look at it before pulling the chocks. The ramp obviously had a slope that is not noted anywhere. The lighting at this gate was also very poor.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 CREW HAD THE ACFT ROLL BACK FROM THE JETWAY DRAGGING THE TUG WITH IT. THE GND CREW HAD REMOVED THE ACFT CHOCKS WITHOUT PERMISSION.

Narrative: FO AND MYSELF WERE DOING OUR COCKPIT SETUP WHILE PARKED AT GATE IN LAS. RAMP USED HAND SIGNAL TO ASK MY PERMISSION TO PULL THE GND PWR. THE RAMPER WAS VERY CLOSE TO THE NOSE OF THE ACFT AND BARELY VISIBLE BEYOND THE NOSE OF THE ACFT. THE LIGHTING OF THE RAMP AREA AT THIS GATE IS POOR. I GAVE THE RAMPER THE THUMBS UP SIGN TO REMOVE GND PWR AND TURNED AROUND IN MY SEAT AND WAS TALKING TO THE GATE AGENT ABOUT A COCKPIT JUMPSEAT REQUEST. SEVERAL SECONDS LATER THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT YELLED 'SOMEONE IS MOVING THE JETWAY!' I TURNED TO MY L TO SEE THE JETWAY MOVING FORWARD AND REALIZED THAT THE JETWAY WAS UNMANNED AND THAT THE ACFT WAS ROLLING BACKWARDS. I IMMEDIATELY STEPPED ON THE BRAKES AND SET THE PARKING BRAKE TO STOP US. THE RAMP HAD PULLED THE GND PWR AND THE CHOCKS. I DID NOT WANT THE CHOCKS PULLED BECAUSE I HAD NOT FINISHED MY FLOW AND THE BRAKES WERE NOT SET YET. IF THE RAMPER SIGNALED TO PULL THE CHOCKS ALSO I DID NOT SEE IT. THE ACFT ROLLED 4-5 FT AND CONTACTED THE JETWAY BENDING AN ATTACHMENT ROD ON THE FORWARD ENTRY DOOR AND CRACKED THE FIBERGLASS SLIDE COVER. FORTUNATELY WE WERE FINISHED BOARDING AND THERE WAS NO TFC THROUGH THE DOOR AND NO ONE WAS INJURED. THE RAMP AT THIS GATE WAS RECENTLY TORN OUT AND REDONE AND OBVIOUSLY HAS A STEEP SLOPE TO IT AS THE ACFT WAS HOOKED UP TO THE PUSH TUG AND DRAGGED OFF WITH US. A RAMPER CAME UP SEVERAL MINS AFTER THE ACFT WAS PULLED BACK FORWARD AND TOLD US THAT THE PARKING BRAKE TENSION IS OFF AND THE BRAKES ARE NOT SET PROPERLY ON THE TUG. IT SEEMS THAT A SEQUENCE OF SEVERAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO THE MISHAP. MISCOM, POOR LIGHTING, INDISTINCT SIGNALING, IMPROPER BRAKE SETTING ON PUSH TUG, DIVERSION OF CREW'S ATTN WHEN ACFT BEGAN TO ROLL. SUGGESTIONS FOR PREVENTION OF FURTHER OCCURRENCES: 1) ALWAYS KEEP ACFT BRAKES SET AT SLOPED RAMPS. PUT UP A SIGN ON THE JETWAY INSTRUCTING CREWS TO 'KEEP BRAKES SET' AS THEY HAVE AT SEVERAL GATES IN PHX. 2) ENSURE ADEQUATE LIGHTING OF RAMP AREA. (GATE XX IN LAS IS WELL LIT AND DRAMATICALLY LIGHTER THAN XY.) 3) AT NIGHT, HAVE RAMP CALL US ON INTERPHONE WHEN ASKING TO PULL CHOCKS AND GND PWR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 603886: THE FLT ATTENDANTS YELLED THAT THE JETBRIDGE WAS MOVING. AS WE BOTH LOOKED L WE REALIZED THAT THE PLANE WAS ROLLING BACKWARDS. WE SOON LEARNED THAT THE GND CREW HAD PULLED THE CHOCKS WHEN THEY PULLED THE PWR. THE TOW TUG WAS HOOKED TO THE ACFT BUT WE WERE TOLD THE PARKING BRAKE TENSION WAS NOT CORRECT AND WHEN THE ACFT ROLLED IT PULLED THE TUG WITH IT. THERE IS ALSO A LIGHT ON THE NOSE GEAR THAT INDICATES IF THE PARKING BRAKE IS SET, AND THE GND CREW IS SUPPOSED TO LOOK AT IT BEFORE PULLING THE CHOCKS. THE RAMP OBVIOUSLY HAD A SLOPE THAT IS NOT NOTED ANYWHERE. THE LIGHTING AT THIS GATE WAS ALSO VERY POOR.

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.