CL65 FLT CREW; WHILE TAXIING INTO THE GATE; COLLIDES WITH A FUEL TRUCK AT ATL.

Narrative

AFTER AN UNEVENTFUL FLT; LNDG AND TAXI; MY FO AND I LINED THE AIRPLANE UP WITH THE LEAD IN LINE AND LEAD MARSHALER AT THE GATE. THERE WERE 2 OTHER WING WALKERS PRESENT ALSO. WE DETERMINED THE ACFT PARKING AREA TO BE CLR OF OBSTRUCTIONS AS WE PROCEEDED SLOW AND WITH CAUTION. FOR ALIGNMENT WITH THE JETWAY; THIS GATE REQUIRES THAT THE AIRPLANE BE BROUGHT STRAIGHT IN AND THEN TURNED ABOUT 40 DEGS TO THE R. OUR MARSHALER BROUGHT US STRAIGHT IN; THEN TURNED US; BUT THEN MOTIONED FOR STRAIGHT AHEAD AGAIN. THIS WOULD HAVE PUT US INTO CONTACT WITH THE JETWAY. I MADE SOME SMALL CORRECTIONS TO THE R UNTIL I WAS SATISFIED THAT WE WOULD NOT HIT THE JETWAY. THE LEAD MARSHALER WAS STILL INDICATING TO CONTINUE FORWARD WHEN WE FELT A SLIGHT BUMP. I IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT THE AIRPLANE TO A STOP. SEEING THAT WE WERE STOPPED; THE WALKER GAVE US A FRUSTRATED LOOK AND CROSSED THE BATONS. SHE APPEARED TO HAVE NO IDEA THAT WE HAD HIT SOMETHING. MY FO LOOKED OUT HIS SIDE WINDOW AND SAW A FUELING CART WAS VERY NEAR THE R WING LEADING EDGE AND THAT THE WING MARSHALER WAS NOT PRESENT. AFTER COMPLETING THE SHUTDOWN CHKLIST; I INSTRUCTED MY FO TO GO OUTSIDE AND VISUALLY INSPECT THE R WING AREA. I UNBUCKLED AND LEANED OVER TO HIS WINDOW TO WATCH HIM DO THIS. HE CONFIRMED THAT THE FUELING CART WAS INDEED IN CONTACT WITH THE WING LEADING EDGE. WE FILED RPTS AND NOTIFIED THE APPROPRIATE PEOPLE. SOME KEY FACTORS THAT LED UP TO THIS INCIDENT -- 1) POOR MARSHALLING TECHNIQUES OR A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO MARSHAL AN AIRPLANE. 2) INACCURATE SAFETY ZONE MARKINGS IN THE GATE AREA. I WAS INFORMED LATER THAT THE PAINTED SAFETY ZONE MARKINGS ON THE GATES; THAT OUR AIRLINE USES; ARE FOR ANOTHER TYPE OF AIRPLANE. 3) PLACEMENT OF OBJECTS IN OR NEAR THE ACFT PARKING AREA. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY RPTS OF NEAR COLLISIONS WITH FUELING CARTS; BAGGAGE LOADERS; TUGS; DUMPSTERS; ETC.; DURING PUSHBACK AND TAXI AT THESE GATES. 4) WITHIN THE PRECEDING 3 MONTHS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT; THERE WERE 3 OTHER MORE SERIOUS COLLISIONS WITH OBJECTS IN THE PARKING AREA THAT WERE FORMALLY RPTED. SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR PREVENTATIVE MEASURES -- 1) DO NOT CONTINUE INTO A GATE AREA WHERE SAFE; UNEVENTFUL ARR IS AT ALL IN DOUBT. 2) BETTER; MORE THOROUGH TRAINING IN ACFT HANDLING TECHNIQUES FOR MARSHALERS. POSSIBLY DEVELOP AND USE WIRELESS COMS BTWN MARSHALERS AND COCKPIT WHILE THE AIRPLANE IS BEING HANDLED. 3) ACCURATE AND CLR PAINTING OF SAFETY ZONES ON THE RAMP AREA. 4) KEEP POTENTIAL OBSTRUCTIONS CLRLY AWAY FROM THE PARKING AREA.