2 WDBS; BELONGING TO THE SAME ACR; BRUSHED THEIR WINGTIPS WHEN 1 PUSHED BACK INTO ANOTHER. THE RPTING ACFT WAS TAXIING AND WAS ON THE CTRLINE OF THE TAXIWAY; THE OTHER WAS BEING PUSHED BACK FOLLOWING COMPANY PROCS.

Narrative

AFTER LNDG IN WDB 1; THE CAPT WAS TAXIING THE ACFT TO A HARDSTAND PARKING SPOT AT ORD. WHILE TAXIING ON THE INNER TAXIWAY; A COMPANY WDB 2 BEGAN A VERY SLOW PUSHBACK OFF OF GATE X. AS WE APCHED THE AREA OF GATE X; THE CAPT SLOWED THE ACFT TO APPROX 5 KTS. I ATTEMPTED TO GET A VISUAL RESPONSE FROM THE PUSHBACK CREW TO ENSURE WINGTIP CLRNC; BUT RECEIVED NONE. THE WDB 2 CONTINUED TO PUSH. ONCE I NO LONGER HAD VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE WDB 2'S L WINGTIP; THE CAPT STOPPED OUR ACFT; WHICH WAS BARELY MOVING (1-2 KTS); AND PARKED THE BRAKES. OUR ACFT WAS ON THE CTR OF THE TAXIWAY WHEN IT WAS STRUCK BY WDB 2'S L WINGLET. DURING SUBSEQUENT DISCUSSION; IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT IT IS LEGAL AND CORRECT FOR AN ACFT TO EXTEND OVER INTO A TAXIWAY AS LONG AS THE GEAR IS NOT ON THE TAXIWAY (I.E.; NO CLRNC FROM GND CTL IS REQUIRED AS LONG AS THE GEAR REMAINS ON THE RAMP). THE OBVIOUS SOLUTION TO PREVENT THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN WOULD BE TO REQUIRE CLRNC FROM GND CTL ANYTIME ANY PART OF AN ACFT EXTENDS ONTO A TAXIWAY; EVEN IF THE ACFT ISN'T TECHNICALLY 'ON' THE TAXIWAY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 216609: DURING THE INQUIRY MEETING; IT WAS NOTED THAT THE INITIAL PORTION OF THE PUSHBACK IS ANGLED TOWARD THE INNER TAXIWAY; THEN A TURN MUST BE MADE IN ORDER TO PUSH THE ACFT INTO THE ALLEYWAY. IT WAS ALSO BROUGHT OUT THAT THE TUG DRIVER COULD NOT START HIS TURN TOWARD THE ALLEYWAY UNTIL THE NOSE OF THE WDB 2 HAD CLRED THE JET BRIDGE. THE TUG DRIVER ALSO STATED THAT HE HAD STARTED HIS TURN BEFORE HE SAW THE STOP SIGNAL. THIS BEING THE CASE; HE AND/OR HIS GUIDE MANE HAD TO HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT THE NOSE OF THE WDB 2 WHEN THE INITIAL STOP SIGNAL WAS GIVEN. ALL SIGNALS WERE BEING GIVEN VISUALLY BECAUSE THE TUG DRIVER WAS NOT WEARING A HEADSET AT THE TIME. ANOTHER FACT THAT MUST BE POINTED OUT IS THE INCREASED DISTANCE THE L WINGTIP TRAVELS DURING A TURN. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THIS TOOK PLACE BTWN THE TIME THE WINGTIP OF THE WDB 2 PASSED ABEAM THE COCKPIT WINDOW AND THE TIME CONTACT WAS MADE.