CL65 FLT CREW; WHILE BEING PUSHED BACK FROM GATE FOR DEP; EXPERIENCED ACFT WINGTIP COLLIDE WITH THE JETBRIDGE.

Narrative

ON MAY/SAT/03; AT APPROX XA00Z; WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TAXI FROM THE GATE; A 'STEERING INOP' CAUTION MESSAGE ILLUMINATED. AFTER COMPLETING THE APPROPRIATE CHKLIST; THE CAUTION MESSAGE CLRED. THE NEXT ATTEMPT TO TAXI AWAY FROM THE GATE AGAIN RESULTED IN A 'STEERING INOP' CAUTION MESSAGE; WHICH WE ALSO CLRED. I THEN REQUESTED THAT THE GND CREW USE A TUG TO PUSH US AWAY FROM THE GATE. IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE TUG THE STATION USED REGULARLY WAS INOP; AND THEREFORE THE GND CREW WAS FORCED TO USE A DIFFERENT TUG TO PUSH US FROM THE GATE. AFTER ABOUT 10 MINS OF UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO PUSH US BACK; THE TUG DRIVER BORROWED A DIFFERENT TUG FROM ANOTHER CARRIER. USING THIS DIFFERENT TUG; THE GND CREW CONTINUED IN ITS EFFORTS TO PULL US AWAY FROM THE GATE. DURING THIS TIME; THERE WERE APPROX 6 GND PERSONNEL INCLUDING THE TUG DRIVER IN THE AREA AROUND THE ACFT. AS THE TUG DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO PULL US TO THE L; MY FO STATED THAT OUR R WING WAS COMING VERY CLOSE TO THE JETBRIDGE OFF OUR R SIDE. I IMMEDIATELY SIGNALED TO THE GND CREW TO STOP THE PUSHBACK PROC. I THEN SHUT DOWN THE ACFT AND HAD THE PAX DEPLANE. UPON EXITING THE ACFT; I FIRST OBSERVED THAT THE ACFT'S WINGLET HAD COME IN CONTACT WITH THE JETBRIDGE. SUBSEQUENTLY; I CONTACTED THE CHIEF PLT; MAINT; SCHEDULING; AND DISPATCH. MAINT INSPECTED THE WINGLET AND MADE ENTRIES IN THE ACFT'S LOGBOOK. I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY DAMAGE TO THE ACFT.