B737 flight crew reported they had to maneuver off the center line to avoid contacting the tail of an aircraft parked at the adjacent gate.
Synopsis
B737 flight crew reported they had to maneuver off the center line to avoid contacting the tail of an aircraft parked at the adjacent gate.
Narrative
While taxing to gate XX after arrival; we rounded the back side of the terminal and observed a (other carrier) aircraft parked at Gate XY. We were on the taxi centerline and determined that we did not have adequate wingtip clearance to safely continue on the centerline. The Captain announced deviations from the centerline to provide adequate clearance of the First Officer (F/O) side of the aircraft. He also had to remain diligent to remain clear of equipment off his side of the aircraft. From our perspective the aircraft at the gate had an overall length that caused a hazard when it was parked at XY. Luckily; conditions were such we had plenty of ability to observe the threat and maneuver to the gate with caution. However; in low light or poor visibility this could result in contact with the parked aircraft if the aircraft is not observed. We estimated that if we remained on the taxi centerline we would have contacted the tail of the (other carrier) aircraft or have been within feet. This issue needs to be noted to make crews aware that inadequate clearance might possibly be an issue if a (other carrier) aircraft is parked at XY.
Second reporter narrative
Inbound to Gate XX we notice that another airliner was parked at XY. Luckily we had daylight conditions to notice the tail of the parked aircraft protruded into the taxi area. We deviated from the line to the left as a precaution and continued to park the aircraft. We asked operations about it and they informed us that it has been reported to ATC. We queried ATC and they knew nothing about the situation. After parking the First Officer walked to the back of our aircraft to take a picture because that aircraft was about to push. Looking at the picture we ascertained that we most likely would have hit the tail of the aircraft if we stayed on the line. I called the Chief Pilot and discussed the problem. He informed us that a taxi line does not provide obstacle clearance. Going forward a note in the SOP could be very helpful that if you remain on the taxi line with aircraft parked on XY; you will most likely hit that aircraft.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.