JETBLAST BY AN MD82 WHILE TAXIING OUT FROM GATE CAUSED DAMAGE TO JETWAY AND BLEW A PLASTIC MARKING CONE INTO PAX WALKING TO TERMINAL FROM A COMMUTER ACFT PARKED NEARBY.

Narrative

PWR OUT (NOT PUSHBACK) IS USED AT THIS GATE. INITIAL ACFT MOVEMENT REQUIRED A VERY TIGHT R TURN OF NEARLY 180 DEGS. ACFT TURNED NICELY UNTIL ABOUT 110 DEGS OF TURN; AT WHICH POINT IT CAME TO A DEAD STOP. THE REASON SUCH A TIGHT TURN WAS REQUIRED WAS DUE TO THE CLOSE PROX OF A COMMUTER ACFT PARALLEL PARKED TO THE R AND IN THE PROCESS OF DEPLANING PAX. AFTER MY ACFT LOST MOMENTUM AND STOPPED DUE TO THE UPHILL GRADIENT OF THE RAMP; I APPLIED PWR AS NECESSARY TO CONTINUE TAXI. I DID NOT APPLY EXCESS PWR. AFTER TKOF; AN ACARS MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED INFORMING THE CREW THAT JET BLAST HAD DAMAGED THE JETWAY ON TAXI OUT. A PHONE CONVERSATION WITH A COMPANY MGR ALSO REVEALED THAT A DEPLANING FEMALE PAX FROM THE COMMUTER ACFT HAD BEEN STRUCK BUT NOT INJURED BY AN ORANGE MARKER CONE. I AM A NEW CAPT AND NEW TO THE MD82. I HAD OPERATED OUT OF BUF GATE X ON 2 PREVIOUS TRIPS WITHOUT PROBS. ON THIS OCCASION THERE WERE 2 OBVIOUS DIFFERENCES: 1) ACFT WT WAS NEAR MAX AT 135000+ LBS. 2) CLOSE PROX OF COMMUTER ACFT. I WAS RELUCTANT TO INITIALLY USE EXCESS PWR TO GET THE MOMENTUM NECESSARY TO COMPLETE A 180 DEG TURN ON AN UPSLOPE RAMP DUE TO THE CLOSE PROX OF COMMUTER ACFT; BUT IN RETROSPECT THAT IS WHAT WAS REQUIRED SO AS NOT TO NEED PWR ONCE ACFT TURNED 180 DEGS AND JETWAY WAS VULNERABLE TO JET BLAST. I RECOMMEND USING PUSHBACK WITH TUG TO PREVENT ADDITIONAL OCCURRENCES.