Towbar broke on pushback resulting in damage to the aircraft.

Attributes
ACN	80284
Time
Date	198801
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : jfk
State Reference	NY
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Widebody, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	ground : preflight ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial pilot : atp pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 10996 flight time type : 117
ASRS Report	80284
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : commercial pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 10658 flight time type : 582
ASRS Report	80392
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : unable
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

As the aircraft was being towed out, the two bar broke, the aircraft and tow tractor basically did a jack-knife maneuver with the tractor swinging around and ending up underneath the aircraft. The aircraft sustained damage to the nose gear tow attach fittings, the belly sheet metal, a drain mast, and the anticollision light.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TOWBAR BROKE ON PUSHBACK RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE ACFT.

Narrative: AS THE ACFT WAS BEING TOWED OUT, THE TWO BAR BROKE, THE ACFT AND TOW TRACTOR BASICALLY DID A JACK-KNIFE MANEUVER WITH THE TRACTOR SWINGING AROUND AND ENDING UP UNDERNEATH THE ACFT. THE ACFT SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE NOSE GEAR TOW ATTACH FITTINGS, THE BELLY SHEET METAL, A DRAIN MAST, AND THE ANTICOLLISION LIGHT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.