2002-12 · NASA ASRS report 568288
B737-700 FLC HAS COLLISION WITH RAMP VEHICLE DURING TAXI TO GATE AT SEA.
MODERATE RAINFALL. I WAS THE CAPT. TAXIING IN TO GATE AT SEA; I MADE A R TURN ON THE 'J' LINE TO ALIGN THE ACFT WITH THE GATE. THERE WERE 3 MARSHALLERS; 1 AT EACH WING AND THE LEAD. ALL HAD VESTS; AND I BELIEVE WANDS. THE LEAD INITIALLY GAVE ME A L TURN SIGNAL AS I APCHED THE 'J' LINE (WHICH WOULD HAVE POINTED ME AT THE 'D' GATES). I MADE A R TURN ONTO THE 'J' LINE; AT WHICH POINT HE BEGAN GIVING THE CORRECT TURN INDICATIONS. I ACCURATELY FOLLOWED HIS INSTRUCTIONS AS WE APCHED THE JETWAY; MAKING 2 SMALL CORRECTIONS HE HAD SIGNALED FOR. BOTH THE FO AND I HAD OUR WINDSHIELD WIPERS OPERATING. THE RAIN/NIGHT CONDITIONS MADE SEEING THE CIRCLE-OF-SAFETY LINES IMPOSSIBLE; SO I WAS RELYING ON THE MARSHALER FOR ALIGNMENT AND CLRNC ON THE GND SUPPORT EQUIP SURROUNDING THE GATE. TO THE L OF THE ACFT THERE WERE SEVERAL PARKED DEICING TRUCKS. MY TAXI SPD WAS VERY SLOW AS I WAS BEING EXTRA CAREFUL WITH THE POOR VISIBILITY. BOTH THE LEAD MARSHALLER AND THE L WING WALKER GAVE ME THE CONTINUAL/ALL CLR SIGNALS. AS WE PASSED THE JETWAY I COULD NO LONGER SEE THE L WINGTIP MARSHALLER; NOR THE TRUCKS. AS THE LEAD MARSHALLER WAS (APPEARING) TO START TO GIVE ME THE NORMAL STOP SIGNAL; I FELT THE ACFT IMPACT SOMETHING AND IMMEDIATELY STOPPED. OUR SPD WAS VERY SLOW. THE LEAD AT THAT POINT ALSO GAVE ME THE STOP SIGNAL (POST IMPACT). THE ACFT WAS STOPPED ON THE CTRLINE; VERY CLOSE TO THE NORMAL STOP BAR (THE JETWAY WAS ABLE TO MEET THE ACFT NORMALLY). THE GND CREW LEFT THE GATE/ACFT AREA ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. 2 MECHS WITNESSED THE INCIDENT FROM A VAN PARKED IN FRONT AND SLIGHTLY TO THE R OF THE ACFT NOSE. THEY RPTED TO ME THAT THE LEAD APPARENTLY DID NOT SEE THE L WING WALKER'S SIGNAL TO STOP. THE L WING WALKER LATER RPTED THAT HE HAD WAITED TOO LONG TO GIVE THE STOP SIGNAL. THE ACFT'S L WING LEADING EDGE IMPACTED THE BACK OF THE DEICE TRUCK LADDER ASSEMBLY ABOUT 5 FT INBOARD OF THE WINGTIP. THERE WERE NO APPARENT INJURIES TO PAX; FLC; OR GND CREW. THE FO AND I WERE ABLE TO DISCUSS THE INCIDENT WITH THE GND CREW AT A LATER TIME. ALL THE GND CREW MEMBERS AGREED THAT THE INCIDENT WOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED HAD THEY FOLLOWED THEIR PROCS. THE MARSHALLERS STATED THAT I HAD FOLLOWED THEIR INSTRUCTIONS AND WAS NOT TAXIING QUICKLY. MAINT HAD EVIDENTLY PARKED THE DEICE TRUCK INSIDE THE SAFETY LINES; AND THE GND CREW FAILED TO MOVE IT. I ALSO FAILED TO HAVE IT MOVED. HOWEVER; AS I STATED; I COULD NOT SEE THE SAFETY LINES AND WAS RELYING ON THE MARSHALLERS TO ENSURE CLRNC.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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