A CL65 was either struck or struck by a baggage cart as it was pushed from the gate. The flight crew alleges that ground handling of aircraft at this station is routinely sloppy and non-standard and that better training and supervision is necessary to prevent such incidents in the future.
Synopsis
A CL65 was either struck or struck by a baggage cart as it was pushed from the gate. The flight crew alleges that ground handling of aircraft at this station is routinely sloppy and non-standard and that better training and supervision is necessary to prevent such incidents in the future.
Narrative
After completing all standard preflight procedures and briefings; the Captain advised the ground crew that our parking brake had been released and they were cleared to capture. I contacted Ground Control who cleared us to push. The Captain so advised the ground lead who appeared to check in the direction of both wings and then began the push. Within 5 seconds there was a loud bang and the aircraft shuddered. It was clear the aircraft had struck something. The ground crew lead was visibly upset. He stopped the aircraft; removed his headset without communication and called his crew to the front of the aircraft. I then called Ground to inform them of the situation as we were in the active ramp area. It was not clear to me whether there was a wing walker present on the aircraft's damaged side at the time of push. The passenger door was opened and the Captain left the cockpit to assess the situation and damage. He discovered the aircraft's left wing had struck a baggage cart and there was significant damage.Once it was clear that there was no danger to the passengers and crew; we were towed back to the gate. I contacted Operations to request a gate agent to attach the jetbridge and aid in customer service; and then called Maintenance and informed them of the situation. It isn't clear if a wing walker was present on both sides of the aircraft at the time of the incident. However; a lack of communication between the ground crewmembers was obvious. Additional training might be considered for the ground crews as well as the use of dual wing walkers; as only one is required currently.
Second reporter narrative
This incident was not a complete surprise to me. For many months I have taken extreme caution while conducting RAMP operations here due to the poor ground handling by the ramp crews. Their ground personnel are not standard in their procedures for taxi-in or push back. They appear to be poorly trained and the supervisors are no better. To avoid this type of problem; the personnel should be trained better and given regular evaluations to ensure quality.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.