B737-300 ROLLED INTO DISCONNECTED TOW BAR AFTER STARTING TO TAXI WITHOUT THE USUAL SIGNAL FROM GND CREW. MINOR DAMAGE TO THE NOSEWHEEL ONLY.

Narrative

INADVERTENT TAXI WITHOUT SALUTE AND RELEASE FROM GUIDANCE. JUST AFTER PUSHBACK AND COMPLETION OF ENG START; GND CREW ADVISED CAPT THAT TOWBAR WAS DISCONNECTED AND BYPASS PIN REMOVED. I THEN ASKED THE CAPT IF I COULD TURN ON THE AIR CONDITIONING. HE SAID YES; AND I HAVE SALUTE AND RELEASE FROM GUIDANCE. WE FINISHED OUR PRE TAXI FLOWS AND RECEIVED TAXI CLRNC FROM GND. COMING OFF THE BRAKES; WE HEARD SCRAPING AS THE ACFT ROLLED FORWARD AND STOPPED. THE GND CREW ALSO STARTED WAVING FRANTICALLY. THE CAPT RE-ESTABLISHED COM AND ASKED 'WAS ANYONE HURT?' AND 'WHAT HAPPENED?' THEY SAID WE HAD ROLLED INTO THE DISCONNECTED TOWBAR AND NO ONE WAS HURT. THEY LEFT BRIEFLY TO INSPECT THE NOSE AREA AND RETURNED SAYING THERE WAS NO DAMAGE; JUST A SMALL SCUFF ON THE NOSEWHEEL. WE TALKED IT OVER WITH THE GND CREW AND ALL AGREED IT WAS A CLOSE CALL; BUT OK TO TAKE THE ACFT. WE WERE IN NO HURRY; IT WAS THE FIRST FLT OF THE DAY AND WE WERE WELL RESTED. MY REQUEST TO TURN ON THE AIR CONDITIONING MUST HAVE DISTR THE CAPT. WE NORMALLY GET THE SALUTE AND RELEASE FROM GUIDANCE AT THAT TIME. I WAS HEADS DOWN WITH CHKLIST ITEMS AND TALKING TO GND BTWN DISCONNECT AND OUR MOVEMENT PROBABLY 1-3 MINS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE GND CREW WERE DOING DURING THIS TIME. THIS WAS OUR 7TH LEG ON THIS IDENT AND WE WERE PRETTY USED TO WORKING WITH EACH OTHER. THE CAPT IS VERY THOROUGH AND ALERT.