Narrative:

In the alleyway at approximately 50 yds from gate on taxi in at stl I stopped the aircraft and informed my passenger that we were not yet parked at the gate and that there would be a slight delay until a signal man came out to flag the aircraft into the gate. Approximately 1 min later the signal man took over direction of the aircraft. I followed the signal man instructions and proceeded on in the final 50 yds to the gate. The signal man gave me the signal that he had control of our direction and that he would provide clearance. At this point I also determined that the area was clear and that it was safe to proceed on into the gate. The contact with the baggage cart took place in the final 5' to the gate. The ramp area was clean but damp. Taxi-in speed was slow and not a factor. At about 5' from the point at which I thought the aircraft would be brought to a stop by the signal man,I felt a rather pronounced shutter from the area of the nose gear as if the nose tires were scrubbing. As the nose steering was neutral and tracking, I disregarded this thought and considered a nose linkage problem. This all took place in about 3-4 seconds. The signal man was still giving come ahead instructions and I felt that he had also observed the strange movements of the nose tires. He then looked to my left wing area and gave a strong signal to stop the aircraft which I then did. The aircraft came to a halt at a place at which the jetway was able to disembark the passenger. I was then given a signal by the signal man to immediately cut the engines. I then opened my left window as it was obvious that there was activity at my left wing. Having opened my window I could see that a baggage cart had been struck at the outer 2/3 of my left leading edge wing. My first officer and I executed an engine shutdown checklist and considered the state of our aircraft. All was normal with the exception of the contact with the baggage cart. The jetway was connected to the aircraft and I exited the same to investigate the damage and to interrogate the signal man as to how this all came to be. I was informed by the signal man that the baggage cart and tug had been driven into the area just as the aircraft was about to be stopped in position at the jetway. The signal man informed me that the driver of the tug had disappeared.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR BEING GUIDED TO GATE HAS BAGGAGE CART MOVE OUT AND HIT WING.

Narrative: IN THE ALLEYWAY AT APPROX 50 YDS FROM GATE ON TAXI IN AT STL I STOPPED THE ACFT AND INFORMED MY PAX THAT WE WERE NOT YET PARKED AT THE GATE AND THAT THERE WOULD BE A SLIGHT DELAY UNTIL A SIGNAL MAN CAME OUT TO FLAG THE ACFT INTO THE GATE. APPROX 1 MIN LATER THE SIGNAL MAN TOOK OVER DIRECTION OF THE ACFT. I FOLLOWED THE SIGNAL MAN INSTRUCTIONS AND PROCEEDED ON IN THE FINAL 50 YDS TO THE GATE. THE SIGNAL MAN GAVE ME THE SIGNAL THAT HE HAD CTL OF OUR DIRECTION AND THAT HE WOULD PROVIDE CLRNC. AT THIS POINT I ALSO DETERMINED THAT THE AREA WAS CLR AND THAT IT WAS SAFE TO PROCEED ON INTO THE GATE. THE CONTACT WITH THE BAGGAGE CART TOOK PLACE IN THE FINAL 5' TO THE GATE. THE RAMP AREA WAS CLEAN BUT DAMP. TAXI-IN SPD WAS SLOW AND NOT A FACTOR. AT ABOUT 5' FROM THE POINT AT WHICH I THOUGHT THE ACFT WOULD BE BROUGHT TO A STOP BY THE SIGNAL MAN,I FELT A RATHER PRONOUNCED SHUTTER FROM THE AREA OF THE NOSE GEAR AS IF THE NOSE TIRES WERE SCRUBBING. AS THE NOSE STEERING WAS NEUTRAL AND TRACKING, I DISREGARDED THIS THOUGHT AND CONSIDERED A NOSE LINKAGE PROB. THIS ALL TOOK PLACE IN ABOUT 3-4 SECS. THE SIGNAL MAN WAS STILL GIVING COME AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS AND I FELT THAT HE HAD ALSO OBSERVED THE STRANGE MOVEMENTS OF THE NOSE TIRES. HE THEN LOOKED TO MY LEFT WING AREA AND GAVE A STRONG SIGNAL TO STOP THE ACFT WHICH I THEN DID. THE ACFT CAME TO A HALT AT A PLACE AT WHICH THE JETWAY WAS ABLE TO DISEMBARK THE PAX. I WAS THEN GIVEN A SIGNAL BY THE SIGNAL MAN TO IMMEDIATELY CUT THE ENGS. I THEN OPENED MY LEFT WINDOW AS IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THERE WAS ACTIVITY AT MY LEFT WING. HAVING OPENED MY WINDOW I COULD SEE THAT A BAGGAGE CART HAD BEEN STRUCK AT THE OUTER 2/3 OF MY LEFT LEADING EDGE WING. MY F/O AND I EXECUTED AN ENG SHUTDOWN CHKLIST AND CONSIDERED THE STATE OF OUR ACFT. ALL WAS NORMAL WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE CONTACT WITH THE BAGGAGE CART. THE JETWAY WAS CONNECTED TO THE ACFT AND I EXITED THE SAME TO INVESTIGATE THE DAMAGE AND TO INTERROGATE THE SIGNAL MAN AS TO HOW THIS ALL CAME TO BE. I WAS INFORMED BY THE SIGNAL MAN THAT THE BAGGAGE CART AND TUG HAD BEEN DRIVEN INTO THE AREA JUST AS THE ACFT WAS ABOUT TO BE STOPPED IN POS AT THE JETWAY. THE SIGNAL MAN INFORMED ME THAT THE DRIVER OF THE TUG HAD DISAPPEARED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.