Narrative:

Upon arrival onto our airline's ramp area we contacted our company operations radio for parking instruction, as the ramp area was congested and the visual parking was full. Via radio we were directed to park next to a company aircraft in a poorly marked and dimly lighted area. As we continued towards our assigned parking from the outer ramp we saw our ramper positioning towards parking slot as well. The parking position required that the aircraft be turned a full 180 degrees in a tight position next to a company aircraft on our left and a terminal overhead skyway and roadway area at our rear. As I began the r-hand 180 degree turn, I directed my attention to my first officer's clear right callout, wingtip clearance on the roadway left, and the company aircraft which would be on our left wing upon turn and parking completion. The ramper was visible on wing right upon turn initiation and on wing left upon turn completion only! Through 90 plus degrees of turn our outbound left elevator (t-tail confign) struck the skyway overhang incurring minor damage to the aircraft and to the terminal window at sub-floor level. No stop hand signals were used. The passenger exited without incident, injury, or alarm. A series of factors led to this occurrence. If any of the following factors leading to the event could have been eliminated this unfortunate incident would not have occurred. A confused and congested ramp (personnel) was unaware of the operation's radio parking directive and thus dispatched insufficient personnel to our parking location. The lone ramper did not attain proper position to monitor the entire aircraft parking operation. The crew was unaware of the possibility of tail strike or the overhang structure due to inadequate marking of the ramp surface below. Better airport lighting, barriers, and marking of the overhead skyway are needed. Ie, the wingtip could break the plane of the skyway overhead and clear all obstacles, but a tail might still impact overhead. And finally and most importantly the crew should have awaited and requested additional assistance from ground personnel to insure that all surfaces are clear of conflict throughout the entire park procedure -- not just for final park position. Our company general operations manual should be revised (for pilots) to include mandatory hand signals and wands for parking. Compliance with approved signals should be mandated.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WHILE REPOSITIONING THE EMB120 AT NIGHT THE CAPT MANEUVERED THE TAIL SO AS TO STRIKE SOME WINDOWS IN THE TERMINAL BUILDING WITH THE ELEVATOR. THE CAPT DID NOT WAIT FOR THE MARSHAL TO GUIDE HIM. THE PAX WERE DEPLANED WITHOUT INCIDENT.

Narrative: UPON ARR ONTO OUR AIRLINE'S RAMP AREA WE CONTACTED OUR COMPANY OPS RADIO FOR PARKING INSTRUCTION, AS THE RAMP AREA WAS CONGESTED AND THE VISUAL PARKING WAS FULL. VIA RADIO WE WERE DIRECTED TO PARK NEXT TO A COMPANY ACFT IN A POORLY MARKED AND DIMLY LIGHTED AREA. AS WE CONTINUED TOWARDS OUR ASSIGNED PARKING FROM THE OUTER RAMP WE SAW OUR RAMPER POSITIONING TOWARDS PARKING SLOT AS WELL. THE PARKING POS REQUIRED THAT THE ACFT BE TURNED A FULL 180 DEGS IN A TIGHT POS NEXT TO A COMPANY ACFT ON OUR L AND A TERMINAL OVERHEAD SKYWAY AND ROADWAY AREA AT OUR REAR. AS I BEGAN THE R-HAND 180 DEG TURN, I DIRECTED MY ATTN TO MY FO'S CLR R CALLOUT, WINGTIP CLRNC ON THE ROADWAY L, AND THE COMPANY ACFT WHICH WOULD BE ON OUR L WING UPON TURN AND PARKING COMPLETION. THE RAMPER WAS VISIBLE ON WING R UPON TURN INITIATION AND ON WING L UPON TURN COMPLETION ONLY! THROUGH 90 PLUS DEGS OF TURN OUR OUTBOUND L ELEVATOR (T-TAIL CONFIGN) STRUCK THE SKYWAY OVERHANG INCURRING MINOR DAMAGE TO THE ACFT AND TO THE TERMINAL WINDOW AT SUB-FLOOR LEVEL. NO STOP HAND SIGNALS WERE USED. THE PAX EXITED WITHOUT INCIDENT, INJURY, OR ALARM. A SERIES OF FACTORS LED TO THIS OCCURRENCE. IF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING FACTORS LEADING TO THE EVENT COULD HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED THIS UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. A CONFUSED AND CONGESTED RAMP (PERSONNEL) WAS UNAWARE OF THE OP'S RADIO PARKING DIRECTIVE AND THUS DISPATCHED INSUFFICIENT PERSONNEL TO OUR PARKING LOCATION. THE LONE RAMPER DID NOT ATTAIN PROPER POS TO MONITOR THE ENTIRE ACFT PARKING OP. THE CREW WAS UNAWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF TAIL STRIKE OR THE OVERHANG STRUCTURE DUE TO INADEQUATE MARKING OF THE RAMP SURFACE BELOW. BETTER ARPT LIGHTING, BARRIERS, AND MARKING OF THE OVERHEAD SKYWAY ARE NEEDED. IE, THE WINGTIP COULD BREAK THE PLANE OF THE SKYWAY OVERHEAD AND CLR ALL OBSTACLES, BUT A TAIL MIGHT STILL IMPACT OVERHEAD. AND FINALLY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY THE CREW SHOULD HAVE AWAITED AND REQUESTED ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE FROM GND PERSONNEL TO INSURE THAT ALL SURFACES ARE CLR OF CONFLICT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PARK PROC -- NOT JUST FOR FINAL PARK POS. OUR COMPANY GENERAL OPS MANUAL SHOULD BE REVISED (FOR PLTS) TO INCLUDE MANDATORY HAND SIGNALS AND WANDS FOR PARKING. COMPLIANCE WITH APPROVED SIGNALS SHOULD BE MANDATED.

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.