B757 MAKES CONTACT WITH JETWAY DURING PARKING MANEUVER USING AUTOMATED PARKING GUIDANCE SYSTEM.

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WE DID A SLOW TAXI UP THE L SIDE AND TWR INFORMED US SINCE THE B767 WAS CLR; TO PROCEED TO THE GATE. I NOTED WING WALKERS SITTING IN POS AT THE ROADWAY POSTS AND THE LEAD WAITING AT THE LIGHT CTL AND MADE A 'SQUARE' TURN TOWARDS THE GATE. AS WE CROSSED ABOUT MID RAMP; THE GREEN LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED AND WING WALKERS WERE IN POS WITH ARMS RAISED IN THE 'CLR' SIGNAL. WE VISUALLY SCANNED THE AREA AND COMMENTED THAT ALL EQUIP APPEARED BEHIND THE RED LINES AND NOTED NOTHING UNUSUAL. AS WE TAXIED IN; I LET THE SPD DECAY AS WE APCHED THE STOPPING POINT AND RECEIVED A YELLOW SIGNAL. AS I EASED THE ACFT FORWARD; I COMMENTED ABOUT HOW LONG THE YELLOW SIGNAL APPEARED AND SHORTLY AFTER THIS; WE DID GET A RED STOP SIGNAL; STOPPED AND SET BRAKES. WE SHUT DOWN THE R ENG; GOT A NORMAL 'CHOCKS IN' SIGNAL FROM GND AND RELEASED BRAKES AND ACCOMPLISHED CHKLISTS. I NOTED NO MOVEMENT AND WE PROCEEDED TO PACK UP OUR FLT KITS IN ANTICIPATION FOR OUR NEXT FLT AND I EXITED MY SEAT TO OPEN COCKPIT DOOR. THE FIRST CLASS FLT ATTENDANT WAS HANGING UP THE INTERPHONE AND REQUESTED TO SPEAK TO ME IN THE COCKPIT. SHE THEN TOLD ME THAT THE MID CABIN FLT ATTENDANT HAD HEARD A PAX STATE THAT THE JETWAY HAD HIT US. SHE STATED THAT WAS WHY WE HADN'T STARTED TO DEPLANE AND POINTED OUT THE INCREASED ACTIVITY OF PERSONNEL OUT ON THE RAMP. AT THIS TIME WE HAD HAD NO INDICATION THAT ANYTHING ABNORMAL HAD OCCURRED. ABOUT 4 MINS PASSED AND THEN GND CALLED US TO LET US KNOW THAT WE DID HAVE CONTACT BTWN THE L ENG COWL AND THE JETWAY AND THAT THEY HAD STARTED THE INVESTIGATION PROCESS. I MADE A PA TO THE PAX TO LET THEM KNOW DEPLANING WOULD BE DELAYED. I CONTACTED FLT CTL AND LET THEM KNOW OF THE INCIDENT AND THAT WE HAD PULLED THE CVR CIRCUIT BREAKER; WHILE MY FO CONTACTED THE DUTY PLT. APPROX 5 MINS LATER; GND INFORMED US THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO PUSH US BACK TO CLR THE JETWAY. WE MADE A PA AND SET THE PAX BACK DOWN AND THEN PUSHED THE ACFT BACK ABOUT 1-2 FT. JETWAY WAS THEN PLACED AT DOOR 2L AND PAX DISEMBARKED. MAINT CAME ON BOARD AND EXPLAINED DAMAGE ENTERED IN LOGBOOK. WE HAD NO RPTED INJURIES OR OTHER INCIDENTAL DAMAGE OTHER THAN AN APPROX 8-10 INCH DIAMETER; 6 INCH DEEP DENT AND TEAR IN THE L ENG NOSE COWL AT ABOUT THE 12:30 TO 1 O'CLOCK POS (LOOKING AT THE ENG). AS WE LOOKED AT THE DAMAGE; A GND AGENT INQUIRED AS TO WHETHER WE HAD NOTED ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY DURING THE TAXI IN AND WE STATED THAT WE HAD NOT. HE MENTIONED THAT THE JETWAY 'WASN'T IN THE WHITE CROSS HATCHED BOX' AND IF I HAD NOTICED ITS POS PRIOR TO STOPPING. I STATED WE DID NOT; WE WERE WATCHING THE LINE AND LIGHTS AND THAT IT APPEARED IN A 'NORMAL' LOCATION. AT NO TIME DID WE OR FLT ATTENDANTS HAVE ANY INDICATION THAT OUR APCH; EQUIP LOCATION; OR GND PERSONNEL'S ACTIONS WERE OUT OF THE ORDINARY AND WE NEVER FELT OR SAW ANY INDICATION OF THE JETWAY'S CONTACT WITH THE AIRFRAME UNTIL A NUMBER OF MINUTES AFTER BLOCK-IN. STILL UNDETERMINED IF JETWAY HIT ACFT OR OTHER WAY AROUND. GND CREW CLRED US IN AND I THOUGHT ALL PRECAUTIONS HAD BEEN MADE. A CONVEX MIRROR IN FRONT OF ACFT NOSE MIGHT HAVE BEEN INVALUABLE DURING ALL PHASES OF GND OPS TO HELP SITUATIONAL AWARENESS; AS WELL AS A NOTICE TO PLTS ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY AND USE OF A SAFELY 'PARKED' JETWAY LOCATION. ADDITIONALLY; GND CREW SEEMED INCAPABLE OF SIGNALING IMMINENT CONTACT PRIOR TO INCIDENT OCCURRENCE. INCIDENT PROBABLY AVOIDABLE IF CURRENT PROCS WERE FOLLOWED AND COMPLACENCY WASN'T PRESENT. CURRENTLY USED ELECTRONIC JETWAY PARKING SYS MAY BE ABLE TO SAFELY ASSIST GND OPS WITHOUT THE USE OF HIGHLY TRAINED AND MOTIVATED GND PERSONNEL.