A321
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Training / Qualification
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Other / Unknown; Ground Event / Encounter Vehicle
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; General Maintenance Action
Equipment / Tooling; Procedure; Human Factors
As we started the boarding process the tug struck the tow-bar which was attached to the aircraft. The aircraft skipped the chocks and rolled back approximately 2 feet. Some damage was noted on the nose gear - I believe it was the shear pin. There were only 4-5 passengers and crew on the aircraft and no one was injured. A bag handler told me that 'the tug slipped into gear.' I asked if anyone was on the tug at the time and no one seemed to know. If no one was on the tug I think it would be a good idea if the tug was shut off just in case - I'm not sure what their procedures are in this regard.
A321 Captain experiences a jolt during passenger boarding caused by a tug running into the tow bar. A bag handler reported to the Captain that 'the tug slipped into gear'.