AN ACR B727 FLC BEING MARSHALED INTO THE GATE; AT NIGHT; BY WING WALKERS AND A TAXI DIRECTOR HAS THE L WINGTIP STRIKE A FUEL TRUCK.

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ARRIVING AT GATE IN DCA; ACFT WAS BEING DIRECTED AT NIGHT TOWARDS JETWAY. I WAS FOLLOWING LEAD-IN LINE TO GATE UNDER CTL OF GND TAXI DIRECTOR. AN ACFT WAS PARKED AT AN ADJACENT GATE AND WAS BEING FUELED. I OBSERVED AT LEAST A COMPLEMENT OF 4 GND HANDLERS INCLUDING 1 MAN WHO STATIONED HIMSELF AT THE REAR OF THE FUEL TRUCK. I REALIZED I WOULD HAVE TO CLOSELY FOLLOW HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS AS I PROCEEDED TO GATE. TRUCK SPOTTER ON L SIDE GAVE ME A CONTINUOUS THUMBS-UP CLR SIGNAL; AS DID L SIDE WING WALKER. I VERBALIZED TO CREW L SIDE WAS CLR AND COPLT RESPONDED R SIDE WALKER WAS SIGNALING CLR. I THEN SHIFTED MY ATTN FORWARD AND FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS OF THE MARSHALLER. AT NO TIME DID HE SIGNAL A STOP. THE L WINGTIP CONTACTED THE LADDER ON REAR OF FUEL TRUCK AND I FELT A THUD. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE ACFT AND ASSESSED SIT. WE THOUGHT POSSIBLY A WHEEL OF ACFT HAD HIT A CHOCK AS WE WERE STILL GETTING A FORWARD SIGNAL. THE TAXI DIRECTOR SUBSEQUENTLY TOLD ME HE COULD NOT SEE TRUCK SPOTTER'S SIGNALS. I FELT WE WERE ALWAYS CLR OF OBSTRUCTIONS BASED ON ALL THE INPUT I WAS RECEIVING. I FEEL THAT NIGHT ACFT MOVEMENT IN CLOSE QUARTERS IS SOMETHING NOT BE TAKEN LIGHTLY; BUT I AM NOT SURE WHAT I COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY BASED ON THE GND INPUT I WAS RECEIVING.