LTT FLC HIT A PAX COMMUTER WALKWAY WHILE BEING MARSHALLED TO THE GATE AT DFW.

Narrative

ON TAXI IN; OUR PARKING SPOT WAS IN TIGHT AGAINST BUILDING. AS WE TAXIED IN; WE STOPPED SHORT OF A WALKWAY. WE WERE BEING MARSHALLED BY MR X AND OUR WING WALKER ON THE L WING WAS MR Y. MR Y MOVED THE WALKWAY BACK AND SAID WE HAD PLENTY OF ROOM. I ASKED TO SHUT DOWN AND DEPLANE. THEY STATED NO. WE THEN GOT THE SIGNAL FROM THE WING WALKER AND THE MARSHALLER SO WE CONTINUED TO OUR PARKING SPOT AS I COULD NOT SEE THE FULL WING. WE MOVED APPROX 2 FT AND STRUCK A COMMUTER WALK ON THE TOP OF THE WING. WE PUT A SCRATCH IN WING CAP ABOUT THE SIZE OF 9 1/2 INCHES AND SHUT DOWN THE AIRPLANE AT THAT TIME. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 486699: WE WERE TAXIING IN TO THE SPOT ON THE ACR RAMP. THE MARSHALLER; MR X; AND THE L WING WALKER; MR Y; BOTH SIGNALED THAT WE COULD MOVE FORWARD. THE CAPT THOUGHT WE WOULDN'T CLR THE COMMUTER WALK STRUCTURE; AND HE SIGNALED THAT HE WOULD PREFER TO SHUT DOWN AND DEPLANE THE PAX AT THAT SPOT. THEY INSISTED HE WOULD CLR; AND HE AGAIN SAID HE WOULD RATHER SHUT DOWN. ONCE AGAIN; THE WING WALKER ASSURED HIM HE WOULD CLR THE OBSTACLE. (HE WAS RIGHT NEXT TO THE WINGTIP.) THE CAPT TURNED HARD R AND MOVED NOT MORE THAN 1 FT WHEN THE MARSHALLER SIGNALED 'STOP.' THE L WINGTIP HAD MADE CONTACT WITH PART OF THE COMMUTER WALK. WE SHUT THE AIRPLANE DOWN AND DEPLANED THE PAX. THE ONLY DAMAGE WAS A SMALL SCRATCH. EVEN IN NORMAL SITS; TAXIING IN TO THE GATE IS DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF THE TIGHT QUARTERS; BUT IN THIS DAY A VERY INEXPERIENCED RAMPER MADE IT WORSE. PREFERABLY; THE COMMUTER WALK IN THAT AREA SHOULD BE REMOVED. IF THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE; THEN ONLY EXPERIENCED RAMPERS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO MARSHALL AND TO SERVE AS WING WALKERS FOR THIS GATE.