B757-200 CREW HIT A TUG WITH #1 ENG AFTER BEGINNING TAXI AT BOS.

Narrative

OUR FLT PUSHED BACK FROM GATE IN BOS AT XA30 LCL TIME. AFTER COMING TO A STOP ON TXWY A; THE TUG DRIVER REQUESTED; VIA FLT INTERPHONE; THAT WE SET BRAKES. I REPLIED 'BRAKES SET; CLRED TO DISCONNECT; THANKS FOR THE GOOD PUSH.' I NOTICED THE FO REVIEWING HIS CHART IN PREPARATION FOR TAXI. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE USUAL TAXI OUT TO RWY 22R. WE COULD SEE ALL THE WAY OUT TO THE RWY AND NOTED THERE PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE ANY ACFT IN FRONT OF US. I LOOKED OUT AND OBSERVED THAT THE AREA IN FRONT OF US WAS CLR. I THEN INSTRUCTED THE FO TO CALL FOR TAXI. BOS GND CTL CLRED OUR FLT TO TAXI VIA TXWYS A AND N TO RWY 22R. WHEN I RELEASED THE BRAKES TO INITIATE TAXI; THE ACFT BEGAN TO MOVE FORWARD SLOWLY WITHOUT ANY ADDITION OF PWR; AS WE WERE RELATIVELY LIGHT WT (175000 LBS). ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE ACFT BEGAN TO MOVE; I FELT WHAT I THOUGHT WAS AN IMPACT OR THE ACFT RUNNING OVER SOMETHING. I BROUGHT THE ACFT TO A STOP; HESITATED A MOMENT; AND SHUT DOWN BOTH ENGS. THE ACFT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY TOWED BACK TO GATE AND THE PAX DEPLANED. WE HAD HIT THE TUG WITH THE LEADING EDGE OF THE L ENG. BETTER TRAINING OF THE GND CREW (IE; THE SAFETY OBSERVER STAYING IN POS IN FRONT OF THE ACFT; AND THE TUG NOT PARKED IN FRONT OF THE ENG; WOULD HAVE PRECLUDED THIS INCIDENT). SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 579168: THE CAPT THEN INSTRUCTED ME TO REQUEST TAXI CLRNC. I LOOKED UP AND COULD SEE NO ONE ON THE RAMP TO THE FRONT AND R OF THE ACFT. THE CAPT APPEARED TO BE OBSERVING THE FRONT AND L OF THE ACFT AT THIS TIME. THE BOSTON GND CTLR CLRED OUR FLT TO TAXI TO RWY 22R. CAPT ASKED ME TO VERIFY THAT WE WERE CLR TO THE R; WHICH I DID. THE CAPT THEN RELEASED BRAKES. THE ACFT BEGAN TO MOVE FORWARD. THE GND CTLR THEN INSTRUCTED US TO STOP TAXI. THE CAPT BROUGHT THE ACFT TO AN ABRUPT STOP AND SHUT DOWN BOTH ENGS. THE ACFT STRUCK THE TUG VEHICLE. THE L ENG COWLING WAS DAMAGED. LATER FOUND OUT SAFETY OBSERVER LEFT POST IN FRONT OF ACFT TO HELP WITH STICKY TOW BAR. TUG WAS PARKED VERY CLOSE TO L ENG; OUT OF VIEW OF CAPT.