What happened
While parking the aircraft, the pilot was following the marshalling signals provided by a ramp agent. As part of the maneuver, the pilot initiated a right turn as signaled but stopped the aircraft when the ramp agent temporarily became obscured from view because they had bent down to move wheel chocks.
After several seconds, the ramp agent reappeared and signaled the pilot to continue the right turn. Upon initiating this turn, the pilot noted that the aircraft required more power than was typical for the maneuver. The pilot subsequently stopped the aircraft and discovered that the aircraft had struck a ramp vehicle.
The investigation
The investigation revealed that the tug operator had observed the aircraft come to a stop and believed the parking maneuver was complete and the aircraft was ready for service. Consequently, the operator positioned the tug and a baggage cart behind the aircraft to begin unloading baggage. The ramp agent did not observe the tug moving into position behind the aircraft before signaling the pilot to resume the turn. As the aircraft began to move again, the operator was unable to move the tug out of the path of the aircraft before the collision occurred.
Findings
Upon inspection, the right aft fuselage of the aircraft had been crushed inward, which resulted in a puncture to the aft cabin pressure bulkhead. The incident involved no injuries.