Incident Details
An aircraft was taxiing into a gate area in close proximity to another parked aircraft, a fuel truck, a building, and a jetway. The end of the fuel truck was overhanging into a designated safety zone. The left wing walker, who was assisting in guiding the airplane onto the ramp, was standing in a position that allowed his view of the left wing tip to be obstructed by the fuel truck. The wing walker stated that he gave the emergency stop signal to the lead marshaler when he noticed that the left wing tip light disappeared behind the fuel truck. The lead marshaler immediately gave the stop signal to the pilot, but the airplane continued to roll during the pilot's reaction and braking. The left wing leading edge slat impacted the rear of the fuel truck, and the slat's skin was dented.
Contributing Conditions
Rain and dark night conditions prevailed at the time. The gate's ramp was congested and was marked by painted lines that were faded and difficult to discern under artificially-lighted, wet conditions at night.
Previous Incident
The fuel truck had been struck in another incident by the same aircraft type while parked at the same gate.