Narrative:

After what appeared to be a normal taxi and parking at gate at lax, on walkaround after securing the aircraft for the night, 4 dents were noticed on the outboard portion of #1 engine nacelle from the leading edge running aft. After interviewing ground personnel, apparently some mail carts were backed into the safety zone for #1 engine sometime during the parking evolution. The exact details could not be ascertained due to apparently conflicting accounts from ground personnel. To this date, no final conclusion as to the exact circumstances have been made. There is conjecture that as the aircraft was nearing the parking spot (within 5-7 ft) the cart may have been placed into the safety zone, unobserved by ground personnel who were concentrating on the parking evolution. From the cockpit during taxi into the gate area, both safety zones were clear to the left and right of the aircraft. Pilots assume a static condition from that point on. As the aircraft nears the exact stopping point, pilot's attention is centered in the individual marshalling the aircraft. Peripheral vision is limited at that point and the orientation of the cockpit windows and proximity of the jetway make observation of movement around the engines impossible. The airline personnel responsible for movement of the carts apparently saw from a vantage point in the terminal noticed a possible conflict of carts near the safety zone. She radioed to ground personnel to move the cart. The individual with the radio receiving the message directed another person to move the cart. Due to congestion of ground equipment, the only direction the cart could be moved was backward into the safety zone. Incomplete communication of the reason for the need to move the carts resulted in the driver complying with the order but not satisfying the spirit of the order. The personnel parking the aircraft, with their attention on the aircraft nose wheel, chocking the nose wheel and applying ground electrical power, together with flood lights located on the bottom of the jetway pointed in a manner to glare the vision of ground personnel, did not notice the cart incursion.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: POSTFLT INSPECTION REVEALED CREASE ALONG NACELLE OF #1 ENG.

Narrative: AFTER WHAT APPEARED TO BE A NORMAL TAXI AND PARKING AT GATE AT LAX, ON WALKAROUND AFTER SECURING THE ACFT FOR THE NIGHT, 4 DENTS WERE NOTICED ON THE OUTBOARD PORTION OF #1 ENG NACELLE FROM THE LEADING EDGE RUNNING AFT. AFTER INTERVIEWING GND PERSONNEL, APPARENTLY SOME MAIL CARTS WERE BACKED INTO THE SAFETY ZONE FOR #1 ENG SOMETIME DURING THE PARKING EVOLUTION. THE EXACT DETAILS COULD NOT BE ASCERTAINED DUE TO APPARENTLY CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS FROM GND PERSONNEL. TO THIS DATE, NO FINAL CONCLUSION AS TO THE EXACT CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE BEEN MADE. THERE IS CONJECTURE THAT AS THE ACFT WAS NEARING THE PARKING SPOT (WITHIN 5-7 FT) THE CART MAY HAVE BEEN PLACED INTO THE SAFETY ZONE, UNOBSERVED BY GND PERSONNEL WHO WERE CONCENTRATING ON THE PARKING EVOLUTION. FROM THE COCKPIT DURING TAXI INTO THE GATE AREA, BOTH SAFETY ZONES WERE CLR TO THE L AND R OF THE ACFT. PLTS ASSUME A STATIC CONDITION FROM THAT POINT ON. AS THE ACFT NEARS THE EXACT STOPPING POINT, PLT'S ATTN IS CENTERED IN THE INDIVIDUAL MARSHALLING THE ACFT. PERIPHERAL VISION IS LIMITED AT THAT POINT AND THE ORIENTATION OF THE COCKPIT WINDOWS AND PROX OF THE JETWAY MAKE OBSERVATION OF MOVEMENT AROUND THE ENGS IMPOSSIBLE. THE AIRLINE PERSONNEL RESPONSIBLE FOR MOVEMENT OF THE CARTS APPARENTLY SAW FROM A VANTAGE POINT IN THE TERMINAL NOTICED A POSSIBLE CONFLICT OF CARTS NEAR THE SAFETY ZONE. SHE RADIOED TO GND PERSONNEL TO MOVE THE CART. THE INDIVIDUAL WITH THE RADIO RECEIVING THE MESSAGE DIRECTED ANOTHER PERSON TO MOVE THE CART. DUE TO CONGESTION OF GND EQUIP, THE ONLY DIRECTION THE CART COULD BE MOVED WAS BACKWARD INTO THE SAFETY ZONE. INCOMPLETE COM OF THE REASON FOR THE NEED TO MOVE THE CARTS RESULTED IN THE DRIVER COMPLYING WITH THE ORDER BUT NOT SATISFYING THE SPIRIT OF THE ORDER. THE PERSONNEL PARKING THE ACFT, WITH THEIR ATTN ON THE ACFT NOSE WHEEL, CHOCKING THE NOSE WHEEL AND APPLYING GND ELECTRICAL PWR, TOGETHER WITH FLOOD LIGHTS LOCATED ON THE BOTTOM OF THE JETWAY POINTED IN A MANNER TO GLARE THE VISION OF GND PERSONNEL, DID NOT NOTICE THE CART INCURSION.

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.