THE CAPT COULD NOT FIND THE NORMAL CONTRACT PERSONNEL TO MARSHAL THE FLT FROM THE GATE. TO DEPART THE ALREADY LATE FLT PROMPTLY THE CAPT GAINED THE ASSISTANCE OF THE FUELER WHO HAD MARSHALLED ACFT FROM THE GATE BEFORE. ON TAXI OUT THE JET BLAST BLEW A LADDER INTO A TURNING PROP OF THE ATR42 AT THE ADJACENT GATE CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE.

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RTE OF FLT WAS EKO-ABQ-CRP-MFE-ABQ-EKO. WE ARRIVED AT CRP AT XA00Z; ABOUT 2 HRS BEHIND SCHEDULE DUE TO LATE ARRIVING ACFT AT ORIGIN (EKO). PAX WERE UNLOADED; ACFT FUELED; AND PREFLT WALKAROUND ACCOMPLISHED. NO ACFT OR EQUIP WERE OBSERVED BEHIND US ON THE WALKAROUND. OUR CURRENT GND HANDLERS COULD NOT BE FOUND IN THE TERMINAL NOR OUTSIDE AND COULD NOT BE REACHED ON THE RADIO. OUR FUELER WAS ALSO OUR FORMER GND HANDLER AT CRP. I ASKED THE FUELER IF HE HAD TIME TO MARSHAL US OUT (AND START US UP). HE SAID HE DID AND I BRIEFED HIM ON HAND SIGNALS FOR CHOCK REMOVAL; ENG START; AND TAXI OUT. HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE PROC. WE STARTED ENG #2; THEN #1 AND NOTICED A FORWARD CARGO DOOR LIGHT ON. WE SHUT DOWN #2 AND MOTIONED FOR THE MARSHALLER TO APCH THE ACFT. THE FO OPENED HIS WINDOW AND ASKED HIM TO CHK AND CLOSE THE FORWARD CARGO DOOR IF NECESSARY. THE DOOR WAS OPEN AND HE CLOSED IT. WE THEN RESTARTED #2; PERFORMED OUR AFTER START FLOWS AND CHKLIST; AND OBTAINED A TAXI CLRNC. I MOTIONED TO THE MARSHALLER THAT WE WERE READY TO TAXI AND HE MARSHALLED US FORWARD ABOUT 5-10 FT AND THEN TURNED US TO THE R. WE WAVED HIM OFF AND PROCEEDED NORMALLY WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT. WE WERE EMPTY; WITH 10500 LBS OF FUEL (GTOW APPROX 83000 LBS) AND USED MINIMAL BREAKAWAY THRUST TO TAXI. WE WERE NOTIFIED IN WRITING MAR/XI/96 BY A COMPETING AIRLINE THAT WHILE TAXIING OUT WE HAD BLOWN A MAINT LADDER INTO THEIR ATR42 TURNING PROP BEHIND US; CAUSING CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE.