B727 HIT CATERING TRUCK WHILE BEING MARSHALED TO THE GATE.

Narrative

GND DAMAGE FROM CATERING TRUCK. ON LNDG AT MIA; WE WERE TAXIING INTO GATE ZZ. WE MADE THE INITIAL TURN; AND WERE SLOWLY TAXIING IN. ALL GND PERSONNEL WERE USING LIGHTED WANDS; BOTH THE GUIDEMAN AND WING WALKERS. THE TRUCK WAS SLOWLY MOVING FORWARD 'TOWARDS THE TERMINAL;' AND I MADE EYE CONTACT WITH THE GUIDEMAN ON THE L WINGTIP TO ENSURE WE WERE CLR OF THE TRUCK. HE INCREASED THE FREQ OF HIS WAND MOVEMENT; AND EMPHATICALLY MOTIONED TO 'COME AHEAD.' THE GUIDEMAN CONTINUED TO WAVE US IN. THEY WERE WRONG; AND I WAS WRONG. I SHOULD HAVE WAITED LONGER. ABOUT 20-25 FT FROM THE GATE; IT FELT LIKE WE HIT A SMALL RUT IN THE RAMP; AND I STOPPED THE ACFT IMMEDIATELY; REALIZING WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED. I OPENED THE WINDOW AND SAW BROKEN PLEXIGLAS ON THE GND; BUT NO FLUID LEAKS. THE TRUCK HAD DEFINITELY PULLED FORWARD AFTER THE IMPACT; AND WE CONTINUED TO THE GATE. THE WING WALKER ON THE L SIDE WAS CREW CHIEF MR X AND HE SAID TO ME THAT THE TRUCK WAS CLR; AND THEN IT BACKED UP BECAUSE OF A FUEL HOSE ON THE ADJACENT GATE. THE DRIVER OF THE TRUCK VEHEMENTLY STATED THAT HE HADN'T BACKED UP AT ALL. WHO WAS WRONG? WE ALL WERE. I CAN ONLY STATE THAT THE TRUCK WAS MOVING FORWARD WHEN I FOCUSED MY ATTN ON THE GUIDEMAN; AND WE MADE THE MISTAKE OF TRUSTING THE WING WALKER TOO MUCH.