Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Communication Breakdown; Distraction; Confusion
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Ground Equipment Issue
Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; General Maintenance Action
Procedure; Human Factors; Environment - Non Weather Related; Aircraft
Approximately midway through the pushback; the ground crew indicated that the tow bar had broken and requested that I set the brakes. It caught me off guard as I hadn't felt anything unusual; so I asked them to clarify that they indeed wanted me to set the brakes. They confirmed that they wanted [me to] set the brakes; so I complied. The push crew lead left the radio to retrieve an aircraft mechanic before I was able to obtain more information. The FO and I had a brief discussion as I had a vague recollection that broken tow bars might require a logbook entry; but the only reference we found was that it required a safety report. When the lead returned to the frequency; he indicated that the aircraft mechanic had inspected the nose gear and there was no damage (I witnessed a gentleman with an aircraft maintenance safety vest walk out from under the nose; but I did not speak to him). I asked him to please clarify the nature of the issue; and he indicated something to the effect that the bar had 'cracked where it hooked to the tug; not the airplane.'  I asked the FO if he was satisfied with the response; which he indicated he was. They swapped the bar and we continued without further incident. I filed a report after the trip; and was contacted today by my union advising me that I failed to recognize that this event required a maintenance write-up and sign off.The biggest causal factor is my limited time in the seat; exacerbated by little flying during the pandemic. I had logged only XX hours since completing my upgrade in Month X of 2020; and that trip was the first live leg I'd flown in over five weeks. I remembered that a broken tow bar required additional acknowledgment; but I let myself be satisfied that I was compliant when we found the safety report reference. I think I also reasoned that since a mechanic knew what happened; he would have advised me if further action was required; and I see now that's not dependable logic. I will be spending more time reviewing my manuals in hopes of eliminating future oversights.The best suggestion in this case is the one I must make to myself- to know my company policies/procedures better; as well as striving to clearly understand how to access required information when I need it. I did search the FOM while we were stopped; but now know the reference I needed was actually in the OM. In the future; I will call the maintenance center as well; but this only provides another layer; not absolute protection; as they may not be certain of the policy either. Bottom line is that it's my job to know my manuals. I believe that the return of regular flying that looks to be unfolding over the coming months will help tremendously as we all get reacquainted to the tools of our profession.
During push back the ground crew advised the Captain to set the parking brake. After setting the brake he was advised that the tow bar had malfunctioned. They then decided to get a new tow bar and push us out the remainder of the way. After the push back was complete the Captain discussed what happened to the tow bar. the ramp personnel said it was no big deal because it was broken on the tug side and not the aircraft side. I told my Captain that I think we have to do something for a malfunction of the tow bar so I looked in the FOM and told him he needed to file a safety report. It was later brought to my attention by a union safety representative that we should have returned to the gate and made an AML entry and had a maintenance inspection.I did a search in the FOM for tow bar and didn't see anything that would have led me to believe we needed a AML entry for our situation.Better training on this type of event.
Air carrier flight crew reported not filing correct paperwork for a tow bar that broke during pushback. The Captain stated lack of flying contributed to the oversight.