B737 flight crew reported the aircraft wingtip came into contact with a blast fence during pushback at LGA even though the pushback was accomplished correctly to the right spot.
Synopsis
B737 flight crew reported the aircraft wingtip came into contact with a blast fence during pushback at LGA even though the pushback was accomplished correctly to the right spot.
Narrative
At the appropriate time I radioed LGA Ramp Control and requested pushback. They cleared us and I relayed that information to the Captain; who in turn relayed the clearance to the ground crew. Pushback was commenced. The ground crew was a Tug Operator and 2 wing walkers. I continued with my duties as First Officer; which included finalizing the closeout and monitoring the situation. I noticed the right Wing Walker getting animated and looked to see what the problem was. At this time we had already stopped. The wing tip looked very close to the blast fence. I passed this information to the Captain and then opened my side window to get a better look. At that time it became clear that the wing tip had touched the blast fence.It is my understanding that this is a repeat situation for this gate or other nearby gates. The ground crew pushed us right to our drop spot. Not beyond and pulled back forward. Right to it; and the wing clearance was not adequate. The whole pushback plan and drop spots in this area of the ramp needs to be reexamined. The clearances are not adequate and the result is putting everybody in a situation that is ripe for failure.
Second reporter narrative
Aircraft X from LGA to ZZZ was scheduled to depart at XA:59. Due to late equipment arrival; we did not begin our push until XD:23 from Gate XX. Our instruction from Ramp Control was to push to Spot XY for release. When the tug stopped; my First Officer noted some commotion from the right Wing Walker. He then noted that the right wing was very close to the blast fence. He opened the window to get a better look and saw that the winglet had made contact with the blast fence. We were towed back to the gate without ever starting or disconnecting from the tug. I called Operations to report what had happened and requested an agent and some managers to help with the passengers. The aircraft was deplaned and an entry was made in the maintenance logbook. [The cause was] very close quarters. [I suggest better] Wing Walker attention.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.