Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Troubleshooting; Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown; Confusion
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Other / Unknown; Ground Event / Encounter FOD
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; Flight Crew Returned To Gate; General Maintenance Action; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Airport; Procedure
After pushing back from the gate in Charlotte; ramp cleared us to taxi to our assigned spot which was directly behind the aircraft. We made a right 180 degree turn and started taxiing to the spot. As we moved forward toward the spot the aircraft lurched to the left and the anti-skid system kicked off. The first officer and [I] both thought we hit a pothole although we didn't see one in front of us. We thought that it was the nose wheel that had hit the hole. We proceeded to the spot which was approximately 100 yards in front of us and stopped the aircraft. At this point the anti-skid system was inop so we went back to the gate for maintenance. When we turned back around to the gate; the FO noticed out of his window that part of a large metal water drainage grate was broken; looking like it had been moved; sticking straight up in the air. We parked the aircraft at the gate and ran the checklist. We put the anti-skid system and the nose wheel; which we thought had struck something; into the log book. Maintenance came out; looked at the book and started working the anti-skid problem. At this point I was on the jet bridge speaking with one of our maintenance personnel who happened to be in the back of the plane deadheading. He was sitting in the back and stated that he thought it was the left main truck that had hit something. Hearing that; I went downstairs to look at the truck and discovered the anti-skid harness was severed and both tires had damage. At this point I informed and showed maintenance the damage. While speaking with maintenance on the ramp looking at the tire damage; a crew chief came over and told me that the grate had been reported to airport authorities as dangerous numerous times and that he was waiting for something like this to happen. He also stated that there is a grate on the other side of the terminal with the same problem and when they push aircraft off the gates the ground crew has to avoid the metal drainage grates. He said one drainage grate was so bad a steel plate was placed over it as a temporary fix. The crew chief came over to tell me the drainage grates have been reported to the CLT airport authority over the last year. Maybe someone should fix them.
[Report narrative contained no additional information.]
A large transport aircraft flight crew pushed back from the gate and during taxi out the left main truck collapsed a steel water drainage grate. The aircraft was returned to the gate where the antiskid harness and two tires were found damaged.