MD80 during pushback from the gate has the tow bar break. Aircraft taxies for takeoff with broken to...

Narrative:

The aircraft had been svced; incoming passenger 2 bags offloaded; outgoing passenger and bags loaded; aircraft fueled; pushed back from the jetway and deiced. All was proceeding normally as far as I knew from the intercompany radio xmissions I was hearing. Deicing complete; the aircraft called for taxi clearance and began taxiing to the runway. As the aircraft passed the FBO; my phone rang. I was told that the lead ramp agent had just informed her that the tow bar had broken during pushback and a piece of the tow bar was still stuck in the aircraft nose gear. The ramp person had asked her to notify someone. The woman had promptly called the air carrier dispatch office and they had told her she needed to let the pilots know. She then called me 'since I was the only person she could think of that would know how to contact the pilots.' as I confirmed with her that she was telling me that the aircraft had a piece of broken tow bar lodged in its nose gear; the pilot radioed tower that he would be ready upon reaching the runway and the tower cleared the aircraft for takeoff. I was already looking for the tower phone number as I was speaking; but I couldn't put my hands on the number fast enough. The aircraft was rolling onto the runway with a known potential for landing gear failure and the pilots didn't know it. All I could think of to stop them from taking off was to make a radio call on the only frequency I knew they would be listening to -- the tower. So I tuned in the tower frequency from memory and made the following call; 'pease tower; this is XXX fob; and I have an important message for the pilot's of air carrier X. The tow bar broke during pushback and a piece of it is stuck in the nosewheel' (or something very close to that). The controller stated; 'air carrier X; did you copy that transmission?' the pilot confirmed and the takeoff was aborted. The aircraft taxied back to the ramp and was inspected for tow bar debris. The piece that had been stuck in the nose gear was gone; presumably it fell out during some point while taxiing. The aircraft departed safely.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 DURING PUSHBACK FROM THE GATE HAS THE TOW BAR BREAK. ACFT TAXIES FOR TKOF WITH BROKEN TOW BAR ATTACHED. ALERT CUSTOMER SVC REPRESENTATIVE CALLS TWR AND NOTIFIES FLT CREW.

Narrative: THE ACFT HAD BEEN SVCED; INCOMING PAX 2 BAGS OFFLOADED; OUTGOING PAX AND BAGS LOADED; ACFT FUELED; PUSHED BACK FROM THE JETWAY AND DEICED. ALL WAS PROCEEDING NORMALLY AS FAR AS I KNEW FROM THE INTERCOMPANY RADIO XMISSIONS I WAS HEARING. DEICING COMPLETE; THE ACFT CALLED FOR TAXI CLRNC AND BEGAN TAXIING TO THE RWY. AS THE ACFT PASSED THE FBO; MY PHONE RANG. I WAS TOLD THAT THE LEAD RAMP AGENT HAD JUST INFORMED HER THAT THE TOW BAR HAD BROKEN DURING PUSHBACK AND A PIECE OF THE TOW BAR WAS STILL STUCK IN THE ACFT NOSE GEAR. THE RAMP PERSON HAD ASKED HER TO NOTIFY SOMEONE. THE WOMAN HAD PROMPTLY CALLED THE ACR DISPATCH OFFICE AND THEY HAD TOLD HER SHE NEEDED TO LET THE PLTS KNOW. SHE THEN CALLED ME 'SINCE I WAS THE ONLY PERSON SHE COULD THINK OF THAT WOULD KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THE PLTS.' AS I CONFIRMED WITH HER THAT SHE WAS TELLING ME THAT THE ACFT HAD A PIECE OF BROKEN TOW BAR LODGED IN ITS NOSE GEAR; THE PLT RADIOED TWR THAT HE WOULD BE READY UPON REACHING THE RWY AND THE TWR CLRED THE ACFT FOR TKOF. I WAS ALREADY LOOKING FOR THE TWR PHONE NUMBER AS I WAS SPEAKING; BUT I COULDN'T PUT MY HANDS ON THE NUMBER FAST ENOUGH. THE ACFT WAS ROLLING ONTO THE RWY WITH A KNOWN POTENTIAL FOR LNDG GEAR FAILURE AND THE PLTS DIDN'T KNOW IT. ALL I COULD THINK OF TO STOP THEM FROM TAKING OFF WAS TO MAKE A RADIO CALL ON THE ONLY FREQ I KNEW THEY WOULD BE LISTENING TO -- THE TWR. SO I TUNED IN THE TWR FREQ FROM MEMORY AND MADE THE FOLLOWING CALL; 'PEASE TWR; THIS IS XXX FOB; AND I HAVE AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR THE PLT'S OF ACR X. THE TOW BAR BROKE DURING PUSHBACK AND A PIECE OF IT IS STUCK IN THE NOSEWHEEL' (OR SOMETHING VERY CLOSE TO THAT). THE CTLR STATED; 'ACR X; DID YOU COPY THAT XMISSION?' THE PLT CONFIRMED AND THE TKOF WAS ABORTED. THE ACFT TAXIED BACK TO THE RAMP AND WAS INSPECTED FOR TOW BAR DEBRIS. THE PIECE THAT HAD BEEN STUCK IN THE NOSE GEAR WAS GONE; PRESUMABLY IT FELL OUT DURING SOME POINT WHILE TAXIING. THE ACFT DEPARTED SAFELY.

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.

Attributes
ACN	686257
Time
Date	200601
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : psm.airport
State Reference	NH
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Weather Elements	Fog
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company other
Function	other personnel other personnel other
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time total : 140
ASRS Report	686257
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe non adherence : published procedure
Independent Detector	other other : 3
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Aircraft Maintenance Human Performance
Primary Problem	Maintenance Human Performance

MD80 during pushback from the gate has the tow bar break. Aircraft taxies for takeoff with broken tow bar attached. Alert customer service representative calls tower and notifies flight crew.