Narrative:

After receiving clearance to push, we pushed back from the gate and told the ground crew to push for runway 26. The other jet traffic was using runway 33. Winds were 280 degrees at 18 KTS. The ground crew pushed us for runway 33. After restating we wanted to go to runway 26, we were towed back into the gate and then repushed for runway 26. This was due to little maneuvering room. During taxi to runway 26, normal vehicular movements (baggage carts, push tugs, etc) were operating on the adjacent ramp and parking spots. We observed nothing intruding into our taxi path, although normal burbank operations call for very reduced clrncs between aircraft and ramp operations. While on taxiway centerline between gates, we felt a jolt from the right wing. The captain stopped the aircraft while I opened my window to view the wingtip. There was damage to the leading edge slat visible from my window. After determining there were no injuries on the aircraft, we started to taxi back to the gate. After making a 180 degree turn back to the gate, we saw the fuel truck that had collided with us. There was a fuel spill behind the truck that extended from the rear of the truck to approximately 5 ft past the taxiway and ramp borderline onto the taxiway. Apparently the fuel truck had backed onto the taxiway (without a marshaller) after the nose of the aircraft had passed, but before the wing had gone by. The fuel spill was from the truck's own fuel tank, not the large tank containing the jet fuel. Several passenger witnessed the collision and verified the above occurrences. The fueler's story is that he saw our jet facing the other way (toward runway 33), completed a clearance walkaround, then backed up. Had we not been facing the wrong direction on initial pushback he may have waited for us to taxi by, knowing we were coming. Supplemental information from acn 331432: we were told later by the airport manager that the fuel truck driver had backed out his parking spot without an observer. He had walked behind his truck to check for any traffic, and had then backed out blindly.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD80 FLC STRUCK A FUEL TRUCK WHILE TAXIING AT BUR. THE ACFT HAD JUST BEEN REPOS FOR ANOTHER RWY AND THE FUEL TRUCK DRIVER BACKED UP IN FRONT OF THE WING JUST AS THE ACFT HAD STARTED FORWARD, BELIEVING THAT THE ACFT WAS GOING TO BE TAXIING TORWARD A DIFFERENT DIRECTION.

Narrative: AFTER RECEIVING CLRNC TO PUSH, WE PUSHED BACK FROM THE GATE AND TOLD THE GND CREW TO PUSH FOR RWY 26. THE OTHER JET TFC WAS USING RWY 33. WINDS WERE 280 DEGS AT 18 KTS. THE GND CREW PUSHED US FOR RWY 33. AFTER RESTATING WE WANTED TO GO TO RWY 26, WE WERE TOWED BACK INTO THE GATE AND THEN REPUSHED FOR RWY 26. THIS WAS DUE TO LITTLE MANEUVERING ROOM. DURING TAXI TO RWY 26, NORMAL VEHICULAR MOVEMENTS (BAGGAGE CARTS, PUSH TUGS, ETC) WERE OPERATING ON THE ADJACENT RAMP AND PARKING SPOTS. WE OBSERVED NOTHING INTRUDING INTO OUR TAXI PATH, ALTHOUGH NORMAL BURBANK OPS CALL FOR VERY REDUCED CLRNCS BTWN ACFT AND RAMP OPS. WHILE ON TXWY CTRLINE BTWN GATES, WE FELT A JOLT FROM THE R WING. THE CAPT STOPPED THE ACFT WHILE I OPENED MY WINDOW TO VIEW THE WINGTIP. THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE LEADING EDGE SLAT VISIBLE FROM MY WINDOW. AFTER DETERMINING THERE WERE NO INJURIES ON THE ACFT, WE STARTED TO TAXI BACK TO THE GATE. AFTER MAKING A 180 DEG TURN BACK TO THE GATE, WE SAW THE FUEL TRUCK THAT HAD COLLIDED WITH US. THERE WAS A FUEL SPILL BEHIND THE TRUCK THAT EXTENDED FROM THE REAR OF THE TRUCK TO APPROX 5 FT PAST THE TXWY AND RAMP BORDERLINE ONTO THE TXWY. APPARENTLY THE FUEL TRUCK HAD BACKED ONTO THE TXWY (WITHOUT A MARSHALLER) AFTER THE NOSE OF THE ACFT HAD PASSED, BUT BEFORE THE WING HAD GONE BY. THE FUEL SPILL WAS FROM THE TRUCK'S OWN FUEL TANK, NOT THE LARGE TANK CONTAINING THE JET FUEL. SEVERAL PAX WITNESSED THE COLLISION AND VERIFIED THE ABOVE OCCURRENCES. THE FUELER'S STORY IS THAT HE SAW OUR JET FACING THE OTHER WAY (TOWARD RWY 33), COMPLETED A CLRNC WALKAROUND, THEN BACKED UP. HAD WE NOT BEEN FACING THE WRONG DIRECTION ON INITIAL PUSHBACK HE MAY HAVE WAITED FOR US TO TAXI BY, KNOWING WE WERE COMING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 331432: WE WERE TOLD LATER BY THE ARPT MGR THAT THE FUEL TRUCK DRIVER HAD BACKED OUT HIS PARKING SPOT WITHOUT AN OBSERVER. HE HAD WALKED BEHIND HIS TRUCK TO CHK FOR ANY TFC, AND HAD THEN BACKED OUT BLINDLY.

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.