AN ACR WING LEADING EDGE HIT A LIGHT POLE.

Narrative

WE WERE SLOWLY TAXIING ON THE CTRLINE TO THE GATE AREA WHILE THE SO ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT LCL COMPANY OPS FOR A GATE ASSIGNMENT. HE HAD DIFFICULTY RAISING THEM UNTIL WE WERE ABEAM GATE X. WE WERE THEN TOLD TO PARK AT GATE X AFTER A 727 WAS PUSHED BACK FROM THE SAME GATE. THE CAPT THEN COMPLETED A L TURN OF APPROX 135-145 DEGS ON A RECENTLY ADDED PORTION OF THE RAMP. WE TAXIED AHEAD ON A WESTERLY HDG. SHORTLY AFTER COMPLETING THE TURN; WHILE TAXIING SLOWER THAN A NORMAL WALK; THE ACFT WAS JOLTED AND STOPPED. WE DETERMINED THAT WE HAD HIT A LIGHT POLE WITH THE R WING IMPACTING IT APPROX 4 FT FROM THE TIP. WE SHUT DOWN ENGS; CONTACTED TWR AND COMPANY OPS. EMER CREWS RESPONDED. AFTER DETERMINING THAT IT WAS SAFE TO TOW THE ACFT; WE WERE TOWED TO THE GATE WHERE THE PAX DEPLANED VIA THE JETWAY. THIS WAS A NEWLY EXPANDED AREA OF THE RAMP. IT WAS NOT MARKED: IE; NO EDGE MARKINGS OR CLRNC GUIDELINES. NEITHER THE NEW AREA; NOR THE LIGHT POLES; NOR NEW GATES WERE DEPICTED ON PLT CHARTS. POLE WAS NOT MARKED OR PAINTED OR STRIPPED. IT BLENDED WITH POLES IN THE BACKGND AND CHAIN-LINK FENCES. LIGHT POLES WERE NOT SET BACK. THERE IS NO RAMP CTL OF TFC IN THE N RAMP AREA. THERE WAS NO CONTACT WITH COMPANY OPS (THEIR POOR RADIO) UNTIL CLOSE TO GATE. AT A MINIMUM; POLES ADJACENT TO THE RAMP SHOULD BE MARKED. BUT THE BEST SOLUTION IS TO MOVE THEM FURTHER AWAY. RAMP EDGES SHOULD BE MARKED. RAMP CTL OF ACFT TFC IN THE N RAMP AREA WOULD BE A DEFINITE PLUS FOR SAFETY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTING FO HAS NOT BEEN BACK TO THE SCENE OF THE CRIME SO HE DOES NOT KNOW IF THERE HAVE BEEN ANY CHANGES IN THE YVR GATE AREA. THERE WERE NO GUIDE LINES; NO WING WALKERS; AND NO TAXI MARSHALLERS WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. AT A HEARING THE FOLLOWING DAY; THE ARPT AUTHORITIES WERE SEVERELY CRITICIZED BY CANADIAN NATIONAL AUTHORITIES FOR THIS SIT. THERE HAD BEEN SEVERAL CLOSE CALLS WITH THESE NEW POLES WITH NO ACTION BY THE ARPT. THE 727 LEADING EDGE ONLY WAS DAMAGED. THE RPTR'S ACR HAS ISSUED A WARNING TO ITS PLTS FLYING INTO YVR.