Narrative:

Flight sequence was begun at gate xx dca. Upon completion of pushback procedure, flight was cleared and released by ground maintenance personnel. Dca ground control was contacted and clearance to taxi was given to deice pad via left, K, to deice pad. Taxi of aircraft was on centerline of taxiway left. As we approached the commuter pad across from gates xh, xi. We observed 2 commuter passenger transfer busses to our left behind the taxiway edge line. After our cockpit passed the busses I felt an impact and stopped the aircraft immediately. The left wingtip had impacted the rear of a vacant bus. Maintenance (company), fire department, police, nd company personnel responded. Passenger were deplaned normally through rear airstairs and transported to the terminal. Crew secured the airplane and were transported to the terminal in a separate bus. No injuries or fuel spill were reported at the time of incident. The MD80 is one aircraft in which the cockpit crew is unable to view the wingtips while seated at our normal flight stations. Given that, it is imperative to rely on exact taxiway use (centerline taxi) and to trust airport markings that vehicles clear of taxiway markings will provide taxing aircraft adequate clearance unless noted or restr by official airport diagrams or ATC controllers. This incident would not have occurred if the busses were not parked in the area adjacent to the taxiway, if personnel attendant to the busses would have acted as wing walkers if they recognized a conflict, or the aircraft had not been taxied. Corrective action could take the form of preventing parking directly in the adjacent areas to the taxiway, restricting aircraft of certain wing span from using the taxiway, or as a minimum, noting and publishing that aircraft of a certain wing span will overlap into areas designated as clear areas. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: call to airport reveals that busses no longer are allowed to park in this area. Airport has taken steps to have them relocated to another area.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MLG ACR ACFT STRUCK A MAINT TRUCK PARKED ALONG SIDE OF THE TXWY CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE ACFT WING TIP AND THE DEPLANING OF THE PAX.

Narrative: FLT SEQUENCE WAS BEGUN AT GATE XX DCA. UPON COMPLETION OF PUSHBACK PROC, FLT WAS CLRED AND RELEASED BY GND MAINT PERSONNEL. DCA GND CTL WAS CONTACTED AND CLRNC TO TAXI WAS GIVEN TO DEICE PAD VIA L, K, TO DEICE PAD. TAXI OF ACFT WAS ON CTRLINE OF TXWY L. AS WE APCHED THE COMMUTER PAD ACROSS FROM GATES XH, XI. WE OBSERVED 2 COMMUTER PAX TRANSFER BUSSES TO OUR L BEHIND THE TXWY EDGE LINE. AFTER OUR COCKPIT PASSED THE BUSSES I FELT AN IMPACT AND STOPPED THE ACFT IMMEDIATELY. THE L WINGTIP HAD IMPACTED THE REAR OF A VACANT BUS. MAINT (COMPANY), FIRE DEPT, POLICE, ND COMPANY PERSONNEL RESPONDED. PAX WERE DEPLANED NORMALLY THROUGH REAR AIRSTAIRS AND TRANSPORTED TO THE TERMINAL. CREW SECURED THE AIRPLANE AND WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE TERMINAL IN A SEPARATE BUS. NO INJURIES OR FUEL SPILL WERE RPTED AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT. THE MD80 IS ONE ACFT IN WHICH THE COCKPIT CREW IS UNABLE TO VIEW THE WINGTIPS WHILE SEATED AT OUR NORMAL FLT STATIONS. GIVEN THAT, IT IS IMPERATIVE TO RELY ON EXACT TXWY USE (CTRLINE TAXI) AND TO TRUST ARPT MARKINGS THAT VEHICLES CLR OF TXWY MARKINGS WILL PROVIDE TAXING ACFT ADEQUATE CLRNC UNLESS NOTED OR RESTR BY OFFICIAL ARPT DIAGRAMS OR ATC CTLRS. THIS INCIDENT WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED IF THE BUSSES WERE NOT PARKED IN THE AREA ADJACENT TO THE TXWY, IF PERSONNEL ATTENDANT TO THE BUSSES WOULD HAVE ACTED AS WING WALKERS IF THEY RECOGNIZED A CONFLICT, OR THE ACFT HAD NOT BEEN TAXIED. CORRECTIVE ACTION COULD TAKE THE FORM OF PREVENTING PARKING DIRECTLY IN THE ADJACENT AREAS TO THE TXWY, RESTRICTING ACFT OF CERTAIN WING SPAN FROM USING THE TXWY, OR AS A MINIMUM, NOTING AND PUBLISHING THAT ACFT OF A CERTAIN WING SPAN WILL OVERLAP INTO AREAS DESIGNATED AS CLR AREAS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CALL TO ARPT REVEALS THAT BUSSES NO LONGER ARE ALLOWED TO PARK IN THIS AREA. ARPT HAS TAKEN STEPS TO HAVE THEM RELOCATED TO ANOTHER AREA.

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.