Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
Conflict Ground Conflict; Critical; Ground Event / Encounter Aircraft
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem
Aircraft; Human Factors
During pushback in SEA; our tow bar broke prior to alignment on assigned orange line.Parallel pushback Airbus failed to notice we'd stopped prior to our assigned line and continued their push into our aircraft. There was significant wingtip overlap due to our stopped position; middle of ramp. We were able to stop parallel Airbus pushback by contacting Airbus pilots on a Ramp Tower frequency to emergency stop their push.No contact occurred. Both aircraft then disconnected and taxied out normally. During push back from [the] gate onto Orange line; Company Airbus pushed back parallel onto Blue line. Before aligning aircraft onto orange line the tow bar broke. Parallel Airbus pushback crew failed to notice we'd come to a stop in the middle of the alley (over the middle green line) and continued to push their aircraft onto assigned left blue. There was significant wing tip overlap developing and contact was certain; inside the scimitar. We were able to personally direct stoppage of parallel Airbus aircraft over the radio prior to wingtip contact.I believe we have a significant operational problem in that the tug driver does not have adequate situational awareness of surrounding fluid and changing ramp issues. He is focused (tunnel vision) on his location and destination; not necessarily seeing things outside his central field of vision.As pilots; we are trained to have a flying pilot and a monitoring pilot. One is focused on aircraft position and control. The other is focused on situational awareness and anticipation; helping the Pilot Flying by seeing the big picture and advising him.We need something like that on the ramp. The driver is focused on controlling the aircraft and proper alignment. We need a 'set of eyes' sitting next to the push driver who is seeing the ramp 'big picture' as it develops and changes. If something like this unusual; but highly significant event we're to happen again; the 'spotter' could see that long before the driver who is focused in on other things. Wing walkers are too far away for an immediate Stop! call; which this event needed. Literally seconds counted. Big picture eyes and a brain next to the driver could prevent (mitigate) situations like this in the future.Luckily the Ramp Tower frequency was clear at the moment I needed it; but in the future a pushback 'spotter' sitting next to the driver (or walking just next to his seat) would be an extra layer of safety. This was as close to a collision as I've ever been (by far) in my 36 years of flying.
Captain reported a critical ground conflict during pushback due to lack of situational awareness on the part of the ground crew.