ACFT DAMAGED. XBLEED START WHILE BEING TOWED.

Narrative

THE ACFT HAD AN INOP MEL'ED APU. DUE TO RAMP CONSTRUCTION BEHIND AND TO THE NORTH OF THE GATE; I REQUESTED THAT OPS CONTACT THE LAX ARPT MGMNT AND TELL THEM WE NEEDED ABOUT A 10 MIN WINDOW WITH THE WORKERS CLR SO WE COULD START AN ENG AT THE GATE. THIS WAS DONE. I RECEIVED A CLRNC TO START AND VERIFIED THAT THE AREA WAS CLR. WE WERE TOLD TO START THE #2 (R ENG) BY THE RAMP PERSON ON THE HEADSET. THIS ENG WAS FURTHEST FROM THE CONSTRUCTION AREA. THE START WAS NORMAL AND WE CONTINUED TO PUSH CLEAR OF THE ALLEY AND THEN WERE PULLED STRAIGHT AHEAD ALONG TXWY TANGO EBOUND. THE TXWY WAS DRY AND WINDS LIGHT. I RECEIVED THE 'CLRED FOR START' FROM THE TUG DRIVER; I REPLIED 'CLRED FOR START' AND CALLED FOR THE XBLEED START CHKLIST. THE FO READ THE CHKLIST AND I REPLIED AS WE SET SWITCHES ACCORDINGLY. I THEN SET THE R ENG EPR AT 1.25 AS CALLED FOR IN THE CHKLIST AND VERIFIED START PRESSURE ABOVE 36 PSI. AS I WAS LOOKING AT THE START PRESSURE AND BEFORE ENGAGING THE START SWITCH I FELT THE ACFT TURN RIGHT; AND FELT AND HEARD A SCRUBBING OR GRINDING SOUND. AT THIS TIME THE FO STATED 'TOWBAR'. WE STOPPED SMOOTHLY. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE TUG DRIVER AND ASKED 'WHAT HAPPENED.' HE SAID HIS ACCELERATOR STUCK OPEN; HE HIT THE BRAKES; AND THE TOWBAR BROKE. I ASKED IF HE WAS OK AND HE SAID YES. A DEAD HEADING PLT RAN UP FRONT AND SAID THE TUG CAB WAS SMASHED. I CALLED BACK AND VERIFIED THAT THE GUY I WAS TALKING TO WAS INDEED THE SAME PERSON IN THE CAB AND DID HE NEED THE FIRE DEPT AND WAS HE REALLY OKAY. HE SAID HE WAS OKAY AND ONLY NEEDED HELP REMOVING THE BROKEN GLASS. I THEN HAD THE FO CALL LAX GND. I MADE A PA ANNOUNCEMENT AND THEN CALLED THE FLT ATTENDANT FORWARD. UPON INSTRUCTIONS FROM LAX GND PERSONNEL (ARPT MGR) ON THE SCENE WE DEPLANED THE PAX DOWN THE AIRSTAIRS AND DIRECTLY INTO A WAITING BUS. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. I RECOMMEND CHKLIST PROC CHANGE TO STATE 'BRAKES SET;' 'TOWBAR DISCONNECTED' BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH ENG START.