WAITING FOR A RAMP GUIDANCE STOP SIGNAL; AND NOT SEEING SUCH SIGNAL UNTIL THE CAPT SEES WAVING ARMS OF GND PERSONNEL; B777 ENG CONTACTS JETBRIDGE BEFORE HE CAN STOP ACFT.

Narrative

ON ARR AT DFW; PARKING AT GATE; GND GUIDEMAN DIRECTED THE R TURN ONTO THE LEAD-IN LINE. WE USED THE B777 PANEL PARKING TO ALIGN OURSELVES ON THE CTRLINE. WE SCANNED THE PANEL PARKING AREA FOR A STOP SIGNAL DEVICE; BUT THE ONLY LIT SIGN WAS A TIME DISPLAY ON THE AUTOMATED PARKING SYS PANEL; WHICH WAS EXACTLY EYE-LEVEL AT 12 O'CLOCK POS. WE NOTED THAT THERE WERE 6 OR MORE GND PERSONNEL STANDING AND MOVING IN FRONT OF THE ACFT; BUT NONE WERE THERE TO DIRECT US. IT SEEMED THAT THE STOP SIGNAL WOULD BE INITIATED THROUGH THE AUTOMATED PARKING SYS PANEL; SINCE IT WAS THE ONLY ONE FUNCTIONAL IN OUR IMMEDIATE VIEWING AREA. WE PROCEEDED VERY SLOWLY AND CAUTIOUSLY -- STILL LOOKING FOR A STOP SIGNAL. FINALLY; A GND PERSON BEGAN WAVING HIS ARMS TO STOP. WE STOPPED THE ACFT IMMEDIATELY AND SET THE PARKING BRAKE. WE WERE SUBSEQUENTLY INFORMED THAT THE L ENG HAD MADE CONTACT WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE JETBRIDGE. AT NO TIME DID IT SEEM THAT WE WERE ABNORMALLY DEEP INTO THE PARKING AREA OR CLOSE TO THE TERMINAL; OR GND EQUIP. WE FELT NO IMPACT; NOR DID THE FLT ATTENDANTS INFORM US OF ANY UNUSUAL SOUNDS.