AN MLG CREW HIT THE JETWAY WITH THEIR #1 ENG. THE CREW CLAIMS THAT THE PARKING AREA IS INADEQUATELY MARKED.

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WHILE TAXIING IN TO GATE IN PIT (A SELF PARK GATE) THE CAPT AND I NOTICED A BELT LOADER THAT WAS BEYOND THE WHITE SAFETY LINE. THE CAPT STOPPED UNTIL THE BELT LOADER WAS MOVED. THE CAPT CONTINUED TAXIING SLOWLY ON CTRLINE WHILE THE JETWAY OPERATOR MOVED THE JETWAY BACK AWAY PERPENDICULAR FROM THE ACFT. WE PASSED THE JETWAY WHICH IS NORMAL VIEW FOR ME SINCE THE EXIT DOOR IS AFT OF THE SIDE WINDOW. THE ACFT CAME TO A STOP APPROX 5 FT BEFORE THE MLG NOSE WHEEL MARKING. I LATER DISCOVERED THE JETWAY HIT THE L ENG. CAUSE OF ACCIDENT: IMPROPERLY POSITIONED JETWAY. THE CAPT WAS RIGHT ON THE CTRLINE AND WAS FOLLOWING THE EXACT PROC TO PARK THE NOSE ON THE APPROPRIATE MLG MARKING WHICH HE NEVER EVEN REACHED. WE WERE 5 FT SHORT OF THIS MARK. TO CORRECT THE SITUATION: THERE SHOULD BE GND MARKINGS FOR THE PROPER POS OF THE JETWAY SO THAT BOTH THE JETWAY OPERATOR AND THE FLC CAN DETERMINE THAT IT IS IN POS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 222631. THE GATE WAS A SELF-PARKING GATE WITH ALIGNMENT LIGHTS AND MIRROR SYS TO ALIGN THE NOSE WHEEL. THE JETWAY WHEELS AND THE JETWAY PROPER APPEARED TO BE OUTSIDE THE RESTRAINING LINES. AS HE MOVED THE BELT LOADER; THE GND PERSON SIGNALED ME 'CLR' TO MOVE FORWARD. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT EVEN WITH THE JETWAY WHEELS OUTSIDE THE RESTRAINING LINES; THE JETWAY ITSELF STILL 'HUNG' OVER THE LINES. AS A CORRECTIVE MEASURE; SOME SORT OF 'BOX' SHOULD BE PAINTED ON THE RAMP. THIS BOX SHOULD INDICATE WHERE THE JETWAY WHEELS SHOULD BE PLACED TO INSURE THAT THE JETWAY STRUCTURE IS CLR OF THE GATE'S RESTRAINING LINES. IN SPEAKING WITH MY UNION REPS; THEY HAVE WARNED THE COMPANY OF THE INADEQUACY OF THE CURRENT SYS; BUT IT HAS TAKEN NO ACTION TO DATE.