B757 flight crew has deice truck boom hit wing flap track fairing.

Attributes
ACN	325357
Time
Date	199601
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : ewr
State Reference	NJ
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 90 flight time total : 15000 flight time type : 325
ASRS Report	325357
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	conflict : ground critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : unable
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Pushed back about 15 ft from gate to deice upper wing surface. Aircraft was stopped, connected to tug, with parking brake set (electric hydraulics on, engines hot started). Left wing deiced with no trouble. Driver attempted to go under right wing. Boom/basket struck the outboard flap track fairing (so called 'canoe'). Damage was confined to the canoe. Before he began deicing, the driver/operator said he planned to 'take care of' a thin frost layer on the bottom surface of the wing. I told him that frost on the bottom of the wing was ok, that only the top surface needed deicing. I don't know if he had been told to squirt both top and bottom surfaces. He may have been trying to position the truck to do the bottom. Or he may have been in a hurry. Or maybe there were other (currently unknown) factors which led to his decision to drive under the wing instead of around it. If he was working alone and not with a partner/spotter, this too could be a factor. Although other factors may be in play, this appears to be related to gaps or shortfalls in training, supervision, or execution of procedures. At this point, it's too early to tell.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 FLC HAS DEICE TRUCK BOOM HIT WING FLAP TRACK FAIRING.

Narrative: PUSHED BACK ABOUT 15 FT FROM GATE TO DEICE UPPER WING SURFACE. ACFT WAS STOPPED, CONNECTED TO TUG, WITH PARKING BRAKE SET (ELECTRIC HYDS ON, ENGS HOT STARTED). L WING DEICED WITH NO TROUBLE. DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO GO UNDER R WING. BOOM/BASKET STRUCK THE OUTBOARD FLAP TRACK FAIRING (SO CALLED 'CANOE'). DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO THE CANOE. BEFORE HE BEGAN DEICING, THE DRIVER/OPERATOR SAID HE PLANNED TO 'TAKE CARE OF' A THIN FROST LAYER ON THE BOTTOM SURFACE OF THE WING. I TOLD HIM THAT FROST ON THE BOTTOM OF THE WING WAS OK, THAT ONLY THE TOP SURFACE NEEDED DEICING. I DON'T KNOW IF HE HAD BEEN TOLD TO SQUIRT BOTH TOP AND BOTTOM SURFACES. HE MAY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO POS THE TRUCK TO DO THE BOTTOM. OR HE MAY HAVE BEEN IN A HURRY. OR MAYBE THERE WERE OTHER (CURRENTLY UNKNOWN) FACTORS WHICH LED TO HIS DECISION TO DRIVE UNDER THE WING INSTEAD OF AROUND IT. IF HE WAS WORKING ALONE AND NOT WITH A PARTNER/SPOTTER, THIS TOO COULD BE A FACTOR. ALTHOUGH OTHER FACTORS MAY BE IN PLAY, THIS APPEARS TO BE RELATED TO GAPS OR SHORTFALLS IN TRAINING, SUPERVISION, OR EXECUTION OF PROCS. AT THIS POINT, IT'S TOO EARLY TO TELL.

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.