AFTER START-UP; ACFT TAXIES AND HITS ROOF OF GOLF CART.

Narrative

THIS WAS THE FIRST FLT OF THE DAY FOR THE CREW AND WAS SCHEDULED FROM HNL TO OGG. ACFT WAS PUSHED BACK FROM THE GATE BY THE TUG INTO THE INTER-ISLAND TXWY AREA ADJACENT TO THE AIR MAINT HANGAR. THE MECH WAS ON THE HEADSET AND BRAKES WERE SET AND TOWBAR DISCONNECTED. MECH WAS SITTING IN A MAINT GOLF CART ON THE L SIDE OF ACFT AND CLRED US TO START THE #2 ENG AND; SHORTLY THEREAFTER; THE #1 ENG. AFTER THE ENG PARAMETERS STABILIZED AT IDLE; I PERFORMED THE AFTER-START FUNCTIONS (GENERATORS; AIR-CONDITIONING; PRESSURIZATION; AND START SWITCHES). AT THIS POINT IN TIME; MYSELF AND THE FO BEGAN A DISCUSSION CONCERNING THE CLOSURE OF THE 2 MAIN RWYS AND WHETHER AN INTXN DEP WOULD BE LEGAL. THIS CONVERSATION LASTED APPROX 30-45 SECONDS. I THEN BROUGHT MY ATTN BACK TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE ACFT AND; THINKING THAT WE WERE TALKING TO HNL GND; I PUSHED THE #1 VHF BUTTON. SEEING NO OBSTRUCTIONS OR MECHS; I RELEASED THE BRAKES AND BEGAN TO ROLL FORWARD. WE HEARD A SCRAPING SOUND AND; WITHIN SECONDS; THE MECH APPEARED IN FRONT OF THE ACFT SIGNALING US TO STOP. AS WE SET THE BRAKES; THE MECH PLUGGED THE COM CORD IN AND TOLD US WE HAD HIT THE ROOF OF THE GOLF CART. ENGS WERE SHUT DOWN AND WE WERE TOWED TO THE GATE TO INSPECT THE SCRATCHES ON THE LOWER R FORWARD SECTION ON THE ACFT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; MAINT RELEASED THE ACFT AND WE CONTINUED THE FLT TO OGG AND; UPON RETURNING TO HNL; WE WERE REPLACED AND SENT FOR DRUG TESTING. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: DISTR (BREAK-UP OF NORMAL FLOW PATTERN). PREVENTION -- USE EXTREME VIGILANCE DURING GND OPS AND GUARD AGAINST DISTRS. TURNING OFF FLT INTERPHONE AFTER DISTR (UNABLE TO COM WITH MECH). PREVENTION -- BE SURE THE FLT INTERPHONE MONITOR BUTTON IS DEPRESSED AND ALWAYS 'HOT.' RELEASING BRAKES WITH NO VISUAL SIGNAL FROM MECH (POSITIONED ON TXWY WITH NO OBSTRUCTIONS IN SIGHT. PUSHING BACK FROM GATE AND USING HEADSETS IS A RELATIVELY NEW PROC FOR OUR COMPANY). PREVENTION -- STRICT ADHERENCE TO PUSHBACK PROCS AND GUARD AGAINST OLD HABIT PATTERNS. GOLF CART BEING POSITIONED OUT OF VIEW OF COCKPIT CREW (UNDER NOSE OF ACFT). PREVENTION -- MAKE SURE ALL POSSIBLE OBSTRUCTIONS ARE IN CLR VIEW OF THE COCKPIT CREW.