A B747-400 CREW; DURING TAXI IN AT LAX; MADE CONTACT WITH AN EMER VEHICLE WHILE PARKING AT THE GATE.

Narrative

FLT WAS CLRED TO TAXI TO GATE XA. ALL PROCS WERE SOP AND CREW WORKED WELL TOGETHER. THE FLT WAS THE END OF AN IOE AND CAPT WAS VERY CLR AND PRECISE IN DETAILING TO THE IOE FO THE DETAILS INVOLVED WITH THIS GATE; SUCH AS SPD MGMNT; MANEUVERING AND PARKING SYS. WE HAD CALLED AHEAD FOR PARAMEDICS AND AS WE ROUNDED THE CORNER INTO THE ALLEY; WE SAW THE EMER VEHICLE IN THE AREA OF OUR GATE BUT DID NOT APPEAR TO US TO ENCROACH IN THE ACFT SAFETY AREA. THE TAXI TO THE GATE PROCEEDED NORMALLY AND VERY SLOWLY WITH THE GUIDANCE OF THE PARKING SYS. THE CAPT BROUGHT THE ACFT TO A STOP AS THE LIGHTS CHANGED FROM GREEN TO YELLOW TO RED. AFTER THE PARKING CHKLIST WAS COMPLETE; A FLT ATTENDANT ADVISED US THAT THE EMER VEHICLE MADE CONTACT WITH THE #1 ENG. THE SIT WAS NOT VISIBLE FROM THE FLT DECK DUE TO THE JETWAYS BLOCKING OUR SIGHT. THE CONTACT VEHICLE WAS ONLY VISIBLE WHEN WE VIEWED FROM AN AFT L WINDOW ON THE UPPER DECK BUSINESS CLASS. UPON FURTHER REVIEW FROM THE RAMP AREA; WE CONFIRMED THE CONTACT AND DAMAGE TO THE LEADING EDGE OF THE #1 ENG COWL AND THE AFT R REAR CORNER TO THE VEHICLE. FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE INCIDENT CONFIRMED THAT THE EMER VEHICLE WAS INSIDE THE RED LINES DENOTING THE ACFT SAFETY AREA AND THE ACFT POS WAS ON THE TAXI-IN LINE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 543538: ACFT WAS INADVERTENTLY GUIDED INTO A PARKED AMBULANCE. THE AMBULANCE WAS WAITING TO TAKE AN ILL PAX TO THE HOSPITAL. CREW WAS NOT IN A POS TO SEE THE VEHICLE DURING FINAL PARKING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 543539: AS WE APCHED THE GATE; I WAS XCHKING AND CALLING OUT GND SPD TO THE CAPT SO THAT HE COULD JUDGE HIS PWR NEEDS AS RECOMMENDED FOR THAT GATE. THE LAST 20 FT IT WAS 1 TO 0 KTS. THE INCIDENT WAS A COMPLETE SURPRISE TO ME.