B777-200 HIT A JETWAY WHILE PARKING AT THE GATE AT EDDF.

Narrative

I WAS ACTING AS RELIEF PLT FOR THE ZZZ-FRA LEG; SITTING IN CTR JUMP SEAT. AN EXTENSIVE FRA BRIEFING HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED PRIOR TO DSCNT. AS WE TAXIED INTO THE GATE IN FRA; THE SUN WAS SHINING ON THE PAPA BOARD (NOT A STOP-ELEMENT MARKER BOARD OR SMI AS INDICATED ON THE FRA CHART). THE NEON TUBE LOOKED WEAK BUT VISIBLE IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT. THE CAPT HAD INDICATED THAT THE LIGHTS WERE IN SIGHT. AS WE SLOWLY NEARED THE TERMINAL; SCANNING; I SAW THE NEON TUBE AS IT PASSED OUT OF MY VIEW FROM THE JUMP SEAT; OBSCURED BEYOND THE ACFT WINDOW FRAME; THEN I BENT DOWN TO TRY TO KEEP THE TUBE IN VIEW. JUST THEN; THE CAPT SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE LIGHT AND STOPPED THE ACFT JUST AS; FROM MY VIEW; THE LIGHT HAD BECOME UNREADABLE DUE TO THE SUN'S GLARE. MOVING MY HEAD SO THAT I COULD SEE THE LIGHT; PARTICULARLY AT THAT ANGLE; LEANING OVER; I COULD NOT BE CERTAIN OF THE PLANE'S POS IN ORDER TO BACK UP THE CAPT. AS OPS MANUAL STATES; THE PAPA INDICATION IS CORRECT FROM THE CAPT'S VIEWPOINT BUT MAY BE UP TO 10 FT OFF FROM THE FO'S VIEW. FROM THE BACK SEAT; THE INDICATION IS DISTORTED ALSO. NORMALLY; THE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AVAILABLE TO AN FO; PARTICULARLY IN THE JUMP SEAT; WITH THAT TYPE OF PARKING INDICATION IS LACKING; BUT THE SUN'S LAST MIN INTERFERENCE PROVIDED THE CLOSING LINK IN THE ERROR CHAIN. AFTER THE ACFT WAS STOPPED; A MECH CAME TO THE COCKPIT; LOOKED AT THE PAPA BOARD AND COMMENTED ON THE GLARE. HE INFORMED US THAT THE TOP L ENG COWL HAD CONTACTED THE REAR JETWAY. WHEN WE REACHED THE RAMP; THE JETWAY HAD BEEN RAISED. IT WAS APPARENT ALSO THAT THE ACFT WOULD NOT HAVE CONTACTED THE JETWAY HAD THE JETWAY BEEN PARKED IN THE RAISED POS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 584537: INCIDENT OCCURRED ON PARKING AT GATE AT FRANKFURT; GERMANY (FRA). SINCE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME TO FRA FOR BOTH CAPT AND MYSELF; WE HAD THOROUGHLY REVIEWED THE PLATES FOR FRA; TO INCLUDE THE INFO ON THE PARKING SYS. AS WE MADE THE R HAND TURN INTO THE GATE; I CALLED OUT A FOLLOW-ME THAT WAS ENCROACHING INTO THE L SIDE OF THE PARKING AREA AND WE AGREED THAT HE WAS OVER THE LINE BUT WOULDN'T BE A PROB. WE CONFIRMED THAT THE AGNIS LIGHTS WERE ON AND THAT THERE WERE MANY GND PERSONNEL IN THE AREA AWAITING US. AS WE APCHED WHAT SEEMED LIKE THE NORMAL SPOT I DIDN'T SEE THE BLACK MARKER THAT WE WERE EXPECTING AND DID NOT SEE THE FLUORESCENT TUBES THAT WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR. WENT BACK TO LOOKING AT THE LEAD IN LIGHTS; EXPECTING THEM TO BE TURNED OFF WHEN WE WERE PROPERLY POSITIONED. THE CAPT STOPPED THE ACFT BUT WE DIDN'T SHUT OFF THE ENGS BECAUSE THE LIGHTS WERE STILL ON AND WE THOUGHT WE MIGHT HAVE TO GO FORWARD. AT NO TIME DID WE FEEL THAT WE HAD HIT ANYTHING. WE TRIED TO CONTACT THE GND PERSONNEL BY USING THE GND CALL ON THE INTERPHONE; BUT GAVE UP AFTER 3 UNSUCCESSFUL TRIES AND SHUT THE ENGS DOWN AND ACCOMPLISHED THE CHKLIST. SHORTLY THEREAFTER AN INDIVIDUAL FROM THE GND STAFF CAME ONBOARD AND TOLD US WE HAD HIT THE JETWAY. WE WENT DOWN ON THE RAMP AND SAW THAT WE HAD IN FACT CONTACTED THE JETWAY AND THAT THE NOSE GEAR WAS 5 FT OR SO PAST THE MARK FOR THE B777.