GND CREW DISCONNECTS TOW BAR WITHOUT TELLING CAPT TO SET BRAKES. A320 ROLLS INTO TOW BAR CAUSING DAMAGE TO NOSEWHEEL.

Narrative

WE WERE PUSHING BACK FROM GATE X IN IAH. I CONFERRED WITH THE CAPT THAT WE WERE CLRED TO START ENGS AND HE SAID YES. I INITIATED THE START ON THE #1 ENG AND WAS HEADS DOWN MONITORING THE ENG START SEQUENCE WHILE WE WERE STILL PUSHING BACKWARDS. SOMEWHERE AROUND STARTER CUT-OUT I NOTICED THAT WE HAD STOPPED OUR PUSHBACK AND THROUGH MY PERIPHERAL VISION I NOTICED US JUST STARTING TO CREEP FORWARD. I STOPPED MONITORING THE ENG START AND CONFIRMED THE PARKING BRAKE WAS OFF. I INITIALLY THOUGHT THEY WERE PULLING US FORWARD ON THE PUSHBACK DUE TO OUR ODD ANGLE ON THE PUSHBACK. I IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE CAPT THAT WE WERE ROLLING FORWARD AND AT THIS TIME HE QUICKLY APPLIED THE BRAKES; JUST AS THE PUSHBACK CREW STARTED YELLING INTO HIS HEADSET TO SET THE BRAKES. WE STOPPED JUST AS WE IMPACTED WITH WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE THE TOW BAR. WE ONLY MOVED FORWARD 1 OR 2 FT TOTAL BEFORE STOPPING. THE CAPT INFORMED ME THAT THE PUSH CREW NEVER TOLD HIM TO 'SET BRAKES' PRIOR TO DISCONNECTING THE TOW BAR. THE PUSH CREW THEN TOLD THE CAPT OVER HIS HEADSET THAT THEY SIMPLY FORGOT TO TELL HIM TO SET BRAKES AND THAT THEY HAD SCREWED UP. THEY HAD DISCONNECTED THE TOW BAR AND ON ENG START WE ROLLED FORWARD INTO THE TOW BAR AND GOUGED A PIECE OF METAL OFF OF THE L WHEEL RIM ON THE INSIDE. THE PUSH CREW CONFIRMED THIS DAMAGE AND THEN HOOKED UP A NEW TOW BAR AND TOWED US BACK IN TO THE GATE. DISPATCH AND ALL OTHER PERSONNEL WERE NOTIFIED OF THE DAMAGE. THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE PUSHBACK CREW TO FOLLOW SOP AND USE STANDARD PUSHBACK PHRASEOLOGY.