MD80 CREW HIT A JET WAY WITH THE ACFT WING TIP WHILE DEPARTING THE GATE UNDER DIRECTION OF THE ACFT MARSHALLER.

Narrative

(AFTER ENG START AND TAXIING FROM GATE.) GND MARSHALLER SIGNALED FOR US TO START OUR TAXI OUT FROM GATE. DURING TURNOUT THE CAPT STOPPED THE ACFT MIDWAY THROUGH THE TURN. WHEN I ASKED HIM IF THERE WAS A PROB; HE REPLIED THAT THE MARSHALLER 'HAD A ODD LOOK ON HIS FACE' SO HE WISELY ELECTED TO STOP THE ACFT. AFTER ACFT WAS STOPPED THE MARSHALLER THEN GAVE THE STOP SIGNAL. IT WAS AT THIS TIME THAT WE WERE NOTIFIED BY HIM THAT THE LEFT WINGTIP HAD CONTACTED THE JET WAY; BREAKING A FIBERGLASS PANEL ON JET WAY AND CAUSING A SLIGHT INDENTATION ON LEFT WINGTIP. ACFT WAS SHUTDOWN RIGHT WHERE WE STOPPED AND FLT WAS CANCELLED AND PAX DEPLANED. AFTER THE INCIDENT; WE LEARNED THAT THE JETWAY WAS NOT FULLY RETRACTED AWAY FROM ACFT AND THAT A WING WALKER HAD BEEN MOTIONING TO THE JET WAY OPERATOR TO RETRACT JET WAY. OUR COCKPIT MARSHALLER SAW THE WING WALKERS HAND MOTIONS AND BELIEVED THEM TO MEAN IT WAS OK FOR ACFT MOVEMENT AND DIRECTED US TO BEGIN TAXI OUT. LESSONS LEARNED: ONE; EVERYONE ON GND CREW WAS TRYING TO DO A GOOD JOB AND TURN THE ACFT QUICKLY AS THIS WAS A FLAG STOP AND THEY WERE TRYING NOT TO INCONVENIENCE PAX. TWO; LACK OF PROPER COMMUNICATION BETWEEN WING WALKER AND MARSHALLER LED TO MIXED SIGNALS WHICH CAUSED INCIDENT.