Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Total 9593; Flight Crew Type 5455
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Vehicle
Flight Crew Returned To Gate; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Equipment / Tooling; Human Factors
Pushed back from gate onto taxiway. No marshaller just single tug driver. After brakes set and cleared to start never received 'Aircraft disconnected; by-pass pin removed' from tug driver. Engines were started; flaps set to 15; APU shut down; controls checked and before taxi checklist accomplished. Got clearance to taxi; turned on taxi light; released parking break; throttled up slightly for taxi. Almost immediately felt a shudder; quickly applied break and reset parking break. Realized at that point what had happened (attempted aircraft movement with tug still attached) and confirmed tug driver uninjured. Ground control cleared us to remain in position until a maintenance inspection confirmed nose gear safe to taxi back to gate. Back at gate; nose gear inspected and eventually flight continued.
[Report narrative contained no additional information.]
B777 flight crew reported they began to taxi before the tow bar was disconnected.