Air carrier flight crew reported their aircraft rolled forward into the push back tug because of poor flight crew to ground crew communication.
Synopsis
Air carrier flight crew reported their aircraft rolled forward into the push back tug because of poor flight crew to ground crew communication.
Narrative
Last night; Day 0; I was the Captain of Flight ABCD to ZZZZ.We were pushing back from XX; with Ramp giving us tail north. The tug driver stopped the push just north of [Taxiway] 1. Apparently setting us up for a turn on to 1 (notam doesn't allow aircraft with greater than 118' wingspan). The tug driver gives the set brakes"; I set the brakes and gave him the standard phraseology. Just as I was doing this; the ramp called and said we needed to push back farther. I cycled the nose light multiple times to get his attention and back on the coms. None of us felt the tug bar separating from the aircraft (I assumed I caught him in time and we were still connected). I told him we needed to push back farther; he said "OK" my response was; "brakes released; you're cleared to push". After a brief pause; we heard and felt a shudder feeling. (I thought he was trying to push us with the tires scrubbing). I quickly called down to ask what was going on; I got no response. We heard and felt this a second time; I called again; with no response. Then he called to say set brakes. I never felt the aircraft move. I asked the other two pilots if they felt the aircraft move. They both said no. Apparently; we rolled forward causing damage to the tires and towbar. More importantly; risking the physical well-being of those working below.Cause: Multiple causal factors and they all boil down to communication.-If Ramp Control had given us more specific instructions we could have avoided this.-If the tug driver would have said 'ok; set brakes' or 'let me re-connect the tow bar'; instead of just 'OK'; this would have prevented.-If I had verified that it was ok to release brakes; this would have been prevented.Better communication from all would have help mitigate this; but in the end; it falls on me do be the final stop gap.In the future I will communicate better. I will insure we all are on the same page before moving metal."
Second reporter narrative
It was a normal pre departure flow up to the point we were cleared to push back from the gate. When we were cleared to push off of Gate XX the controller simply told us to push tail north. Nearly as soon the aircraft was moving the push crew advised the Captain that we were cleared to start; and the Captain advised the FO (First Officer) to start engines. The FO started the engines and before they were stabilized we had come to a stop and the push crew told the Captain to set the brakes. Shortly thereafter the Ramp Controller called and asked us to push further north so that we could exit at spot XX. There was construction at spot XY/[Taxiway] 1 that limited access to aircraft with a wingspan below 118' if I remember correctly. I believe the Captain thought that when he called down to the push crew to push us further back that he caught them before they had disconnected the towbar. I think the FO thought that they were going to push right then and noticed the parking brake was set and advised the Captain to release the brake. The radio was particularly busy; as was the activity both inside the cockpit and below creating a confusing atmosphere. The Captain released the brake and it seemed nothing happened; we appeared to be still; reaffirming the assumption that the Captain had in fact caught the ground crew before they had disconnected the towbar. A bit later we felt some sort of shaking that felt like when a tug is struggling to move an aircraft; followed by the tug driver advising the Captain to set the brakes. Cause: The first thing that comes to mind when I think of causal factors is the numerous transmissions that we got in such a short period of time. It truly compresses time at a particularly high risk time. I've wondered why we request push clearance digitally; but then do the hard part (taking the instructions) verbally. It seems that if the controller had the ability to preset the exact location they want us to go and we could all reference those instructions digitally then there would be less opportunity for confusion or need for change. Additionally; I think that communication could have been a little more formal with and from the push crew. Things seemed a bit rushed from downstairs which was unnecessary as we were departing ahead of schedule.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.