B727 STRUCK PARKED B727'S WINGTIP WHILE UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF MARSHALLER.

Date: 1999-06 · Aircraft: B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|ground-event-encounter-other-unknown

Synopsis

B727 STRUCK PARKED B727'S WINGTIP WHILE UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF MARSHALLER.

Narrative

WHILE TAXIING IN TO GATE UNDER GUIDANCE OF MARSHALL AND WING WALKERS; MY L WINGTIP STRUCK THE R WINGTIP OF THE ACFT PARKED NEXT TO ME. ACFT ON MY L HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY PARKED INCORRECTLY AND THE WING WALKER ON THE L SIDE WAS NOT PAYING ATTN WHEN WE TAXIED IN. WHEN WE STRUCK THE OTHER ACFT WE WERE ON CTRLINE AND WERE BEING DIRECTED FORWARD BY THE MARSHALL. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 440300: WHILE BEING MARSHALLED INTO A CONGESTED GATE AREA AT NIGHT; THE CREW FELT THE ACFT COME INTO CONTACT WITH AN UNKNOWN OBJECT. WE IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE ACFT; BUT THE MARSHALLER CONTINUED TO GUIDE US IN TO THE GATE WITH LIGHTED WANDS. THE CREW DISCUSSED THE SIT AND DETERMINED THAT WE HAD MOST LIKELY RUN OVER A PAIR OF CHOCKS WHICH WE HAD WITNESSED BEING THROWN UNDER THE ACFT BY A RAMP WORKER. AFTER VISUALLY INSPECTING THE AREA; WE CONTINUED TO THE GATE (A DISTANCE OF APPROX 20 FT). PAX SAID; 'WING IS GOING TO NEED A BAND-AID.' I FOUND EVIDENCE THAT THE L WINGTIP HAD COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE R WINGTIP OF A B727 PARKED AT THE ADJACENT GATE. RAMP AND MAINT SUPVRS WERE SUMMONED TO THE AREA; WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE B727 AT THE ADJACENT GATE WAS IMPROPERLY PARKED. WHILE THE NOSEWHEEL WAS ON THE PARKING CTRLINE; THE ACFT WAS PARKED AT AN ANGLE WHICH ALLOWED THE R WINGTIP TO PROTRUDE INTO OUR GATE'S SAFETY ZONE. THE SUPVRS STATED THAT THIS SIT WAS BECOMING MORE COMMON BECAUSE OF A LACK OF TRAINING OF RAMP PERSONNEL. THE MARSHALLERS GUIDING OUR ACFT IN TO THE GATE FAILED TO OBSERVE PROPER OPERATING PROC. THE WING WALKER ON THE L WING WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT MONITORING THE CLRNC BTWN THE ACFT. THIS LACK OF DISCIPLINE SEEMS TO BE OCCURRING MORE OFTEN. THE TRAINING AND LOW EXPERIENCE LEVEL OF SOME RAMP PERSONNEL WAS DEFINITELY A MAJOR FACTOR IN THIS INCIDENT. I BELIEVE OUR FLT WAS THE LAST ONE THAT THIS PARTICULAR CREW WAS TO WORK THAT EVENING; WHICH MAY HAVE MADE THEM ANXIOUS TO GET US IN THE GATE AND UNLOADED QUICKLY. THE APPROPRIATE RPTS WERE MADE TO OUR COMPANY MGMNT PERSONNEL. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL BE MORE OBSERVANT OF THE PARKING STATUS OF ADJACENT ACFT BEFORE ENTERING THE GATE AREA.

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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.