THE TOW BAR FAILED DURING PUSH OUT.

Narrative

PUSH WAS DELAYED FOR A COUPLE OF MINS WHILE GND CREW WAITED FOR TOW PIN. CLRNC WAS RECEIVED FROM RAMP FOR CLRNC TO PUSH FROM GATE A; TAIL W. DURING PUSH; RAMP NOTIFIED US TO HOLD IN W POS BEFORE BEING DRAGGED FORWARD WHILE 2 ACFT PULLED INTO SURROUNDING GATES. CAPT RELAYED THESE INSTRUCTIONS TO GND CREW. WHEN RAMP NOTIFIED US THAT WE COULD PULL FORWARD; THE CAPT HAD TO OPEN WINDOW AND NOTIFY CREW AS INTERPHONE COMS WERE LOST. WE WERE GIVEN APPROVAL TO START AS THE DRAG FORWARD WAS STARTED. I HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND LOOKED UP FROM MY START PROC TO NOTICE THAT WE HAD STOPPED AND THAT THE TOW BAR APPEARED TO BE DISCONNECTED. THE CAPT DIRECTED THAT WE ABORT THE START; SO I DID NOT TURN ON THE #1 FUEL LEVER. GND CREW WAS ABLE TO REESTABLISH COMS AND NOTIFIED US OF DAMAGE BY A BROKEN TOW BAR TO THE NOSE GEAR DOORS. RAMP WAS NOTIFIED OF DELAY AND POSSIBLE DAMAGE AND MAINT WAS REQUESTED. PERSONNEL RECORDED THE DAMAGE WITH A CAMERA AND MAINT INDICATED THAT THE ACFT COULD NOT BE TOWED. AFTER INSPECTING THE NOSE GEAR AREA AND VERIFYING PROPER NOSEWHEEL STEERING; WE DECIDED THE ACFT COULD BE TAXIED; TAXI CLRNC WAS RECEIVED TO TAXI TO GATE B. THE OVERALL PUSH PROC APPEARED TO BE GOING NORMAL AND SMOOTHLY WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. AT NO TIME WERE THE BRAKES APPLIED DURING THE PUSH.