B-727 FREIGHTER HITS AN UNMARKED OBSTRUCTION POLE WITH WINGTIP DURING RAMP OP ACFT PARKING PROC. NIGHT OP.
Synopsis
B-727 FREIGHTER HITS AN UNMARKED OBSTRUCTION POLE WITH WINGTIP DURING RAMP OP ACFT PARKING PROC. NIGHT OP.
Narrative
AFTER AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG WE WERE ASSIGNED PARKING SPOT (SEE ATTACHED DIAGRAM). ENTERING THE RAMP FROM TXWY B; WE FOLLOWED A 'FOLLOW ME' TRUCK WHICH LED US NE ON THE RAMP TOWARD SPOT. AS WE STARTED OUR 90 DEG TURN INTO THE SPOT WE VISUALLY ACQUIRED OUR LEAD MARSHALLER AND 2 WING WALKERS. TAXI SPD WAS AT OR BELOW A SLOW WALK WITH #3 ENG SHUT DOWN TO CONSERVE FUEL PER SOP. AS THE MARSHALLER SIGNALED A L TURN; I LOOKED OUT OF THE R WINDOW WATCHING CLRNC BTWN THE R WINGTIP AND THE HANGAR ADJACENT TO THE RAMP. THE R WING MARSHALLER WAS FORWARD OF THE WING WITH HIS L HAND EXTENDED UPWARD (HOLDING A LIGHT WAND); A R HAND WITH A THUMB UP; AND A NODDING HEAD LOOKING AT THE WINGTIP AND ME ALTERNATELY. AS WE WERE 1/2 WAY THROUGH OUR SECOND L TURN (PARALLELING THE HANGAR) A LIGHT STANDARD ADJACENT TO THE HANGAR CREATED GLARE; WHICH WHEN COMBINED WITH THE SCRATCHED #3 WINDSHIELD (PLEXIGLAS); OBSCURED MY VIEW OF THE WINGTIP. AT THIS TIME I BECAME COMPLETELY RELIANT ON THE WING WALKER WHO WAS STILL SIGNALING ALL CLR. AS THE CAPT STARTED THE FINAL L TURN; I FELT THE ACFT SURGE AND YELLED 'STOP.' THE WING WALKER THEN SIGNALED STOP AS THE CAPT USED HARD BRAKING. ENGS #1 AND #2 WERE SHUT DOWN AND THE ACFT WAS SECURED. EXITING THE ACFT; IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE LIGHT STANDARD (WHICH WAS UNMARKED AND BLENDED VISUALLY WITH THE HANGAR) WAS KNOCKED DOWN. THE NON STRUCTURAL WINGTIP FAIRING WAS DAMAGED AND REPLACED. BOTH THE LEAD MARSHALLER; THE WING WALKER AND THE RAMP SUPVR ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE WING WALKER WAS SIGNALING 'ALL CLR' WHEN THE COLLISION OCCURRED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 305106: THE ON-SITE SUPVR SAID THE MARSHALLER WAS AT FAULT.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.