ACFT DAMAGES WING TIP ON CONTACT WITH GND EQUIP IN RAMP OP ACFT PARKING PROC.

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HAD ONE MAN AS MARSHALLER INTO GATE SEVERAL PIECES OF GND EQUIP TO THE L OF OUR ACFT ON APCH TO GATE. ONE OF THE LOADERS LOOKED LIKE IT WOULD BE CLOSER TO OUR L WING; SO I SLOWED OUR TAXI RATE AND CHKED AGAIN. IT APPEARED THAT THE WING WOULD PASS OVER THE EQUIP; AND THE MARSHALLER WAS CONTINUING TO DIRECT US IN; SO I CONTINUED SLOWLY. WHEN THE LEADING EDGE OF THE WING REACHED THE GND EQUIP; IT APPEARED (FROM MY POS) TO PASS UNDER THE WING; BUT LOOKED VERY CLOSE TO ME; SO I STOPPED THE ACFT. MARSHALLER THEN BENT DOWN TO LOOK UNDER JETWAY (APPARENTLY HE COULDN'T SEE THE WING TIP!). HE THEN SIGNALED ME TO STOP (I HAD ALREADY) AND WALKED BACK TO CHK. HE CAME BACK AND SIGNALED ME TO SHUTDOWN. EQUIP HAD SLIGHTLY SCRATCHED THE BOTTOM OF THE LEADING EDGE AND BOTTOM OF THE WING 1 1/2 FT INBOARD OF THE TIP. IF OBSTACLES 'APPEAR TO BE CLOSE;' THEY ARE PROBABLY TOO CLOSE. GET WING WALKERS AND DON'T DEPEND ON 1 GUY TO WATCH ALL PARTS OF YOUR ACFT IN CONGESTED AREAS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 201775. ON A SCHEDULED DEP WITH DELAYED ENG START A FUEL VALVE MALFUNCTIONED CAUSING US TO RETURN TO GATE. WE WERE AT THE RWY 25L AND #3 FOR TKOF WHEN WE STARTED THE SECOND ENG. GATE WAS BY THE 24 RWYS. WHILE TAXIING BACK AN ARPT OFFICIAL MARSHALLED US THROUGH SOME CONGESTED AREAS. WING WALKERS WERE ON BOTH SIDES MOTIONING US THROUGH. ALL LOOKED WELL AND WENT WELL. THE PROBLEM OCCURRED COMING INTO GATE AREA. THE CAPT TAXIED TO THE LINE FOR GATE; WE HAD A SINGLE MARSHALLER GUIDING US IN. AFTER JUST PASSING THROUGH SOME CONGESTED AREAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ARPT I FIGURED WE HAD HAD PRACTICE ON JUDGING HOW CLOSE THINGS WERE TO THE WING TIP. THUS MISPLACED CONFIDENCE RESULTED IN ME ONLY LEANING FORWARD TO LOOK AT THE LOADER. THE CAPT THEN LOOKED AT IS SO I FIGURED HE GOT THE POINT AND I DID NOT SAY ANYTHING. WHEN HE SAW THE OBSTRUCTION HE SLOWED DOWN LOOKED BACK AT OUR ONE MAN MARSHALLER AND CONTINUED TO SLOW DOWN BUT DID CONTINUE TAXIING. AS THE LOADER WENT OUT OF MY VIEW (SINCE IT WAS ON THE L SIDE OF THE ACFT) I THEN JUST WATCHED THE MARSHALLER. DON'T LET MISPLACED CONFIDENCE KEEP YOU QUIET. I SHOULD HAVE SUGGESTED STOPPING AND GETTING A WING WALKER LIKE WE HAD ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FIELD.