AN MD80 CAPT REPORTS THAT WHILE BEING MARSHALED INTO A JETWAY HIS ACFT'S WINGTIP STRUCK AN RJ'S WINGLET WITH NO WARNING FROM THE MARSHALLER.
Synopsis
AN MD80 CAPT REPORTS THAT WHILE BEING MARSHALED INTO A JETWAY HIS ACFT'S WINGTIP STRUCK AN RJ'S WINGLET WITH NO WARNING FROM THE MARSHALLER.
Narrative
INCIDENT: APCHING THE RAMP AREA FROM THE S ON TXWY N; WE WERE INFORMED BY OPS THAT GATE X WOULD BE USED FOR PARKING. WE HAD NO REVENUE PAX OR FLT ATTENDANTS ONBOARD. WE DID HAVE 2 MECHS WITH US THAT WERE ASKED TO WORK ON THE B757 ACFT REQUIRING MAINT AT THE NEXT STOP. I WAS TAXIING THE ACFT AND MADE A R 90 DEG TURN OFF THE TXWY TO LINE UP ON THE PARKING RUN-IN LINE. THIS LINE WAS POINTED OUT BY THE MARSHALLING AGENT WHO HAD HIS WANDS RAISED INDICATING THE RAMP AREA WAS CLR OF OBSTRUCTIONS. I TURNED OFF THE TAXI LIGHT AS I STARTED THE R TURN SO AS NOT TO BLIND THE GND PERSONNEL. THE PARKING AREA APPEARED CLR WITH NO OBSTRUCTIONS WITHIN THE OBSERVABLE RED LINES. THERE WAS A CRJ PARKED JUST TO THE L OF OUR GATE; AS I MADE THE APCH. THAT ACFT WAS PARKED ON ITS YELLOW LINE AND HAD SEVERAL ORANGE CONES SURROUNDING THE PERIMETER OF THE ACFT. WING WALKERS WERE POSITIONED ON EACH SIDE OF THE GATE AREA. THE WING WALKER ON OUR L SIDE WAS STANDING AT THE WINGTIP OF THE CRJ. THE MARSHALLING AGENT WAS STANDING IN LINE WITH THE LEAD-IN LINE AND WAS POSITIONED BACK IN THE RECESS OF THE BUILDING. THE FO AND I BOTH REMARKED AT THE CLOSE PROX OF THE CRJ TO OUR L. RECEIVING PROPER WAND SIGNALS FROM THE MARSHALLER; I SLOWED THE ACFT BELOW THE NORMAL GATE APCH SPD AND PROCEEDED WITH CAUTION INTO THE GATE. WE BOTH WATCHED THE L WING WALKER CAREFULLY UNTIL HE WAS NO LONGER IN SIGHT. THE ENTIRE TIME I WAS RECEIVING PROPER WAND SIGNALS TO PROCEED STRAIGHT AHEAD FROM THE MARSHALING AGENT. AS THE NOSE OF MY ACFT APCHED THE JETWAY I FELT A SUBTLE UNKNOWN VIBRATION IN THE AIRFRAME THAT LASTED A COUPLE SECONDS. I CONTINUED TO RECEIVE PROPER COME AHEAD WAND SIGNALS FROM THE MARSHALLER FOR ANOTHER 10-15 FT UNTIL GIVEN THE APCHING STOP AND THEN STOP SIGNAL. UPON OPENING THE 1L DOOR WE WERE INFORMED BY THE GATE AGENT THAT WE MAY HAVE HAD CONTACT WITH THE WINGTIP OF THE CRJ ON OUR L SIDE. I WENT DOWN TO THE RAMP TO OBSERVE THE DAMAGE. THE WING WALKER ON THAT SIDE WAS IN A CONVERSATION WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE TELLING AND SHOWING THEM THE STOP SIGNAL HE SAID HE WAS GIVING TO THE MARSHALLING AGENT BUT WAS UNABLE TO GET HIS ATTN. THE L WINGTIP APPEARED TO BE SCRAPED ALONG THE EDGE AND THE CLR COVER OF THE WHITE WINGTIP POS LIGHT WAS BROKEN OFF. THE CRJ HAD A CUT AND SCRAPE ALONG THE BASE OF THE WINGLET ON THE R WINGTIP. THE RAMP MARKINGS WITH DEDICATED PARKING LINES FOR THESE 2 ACFT SET THE GND CREW UP FOR THE INCIDENT. THE LEAD MARSHALLING AGENT NEGLECTED TO WATCH HIS WING WALKERS WHILE DIRECTING THE ACFT; ALLOWING THE INCIDENT TO TAKE PLACE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.