Narrative:

After landing company DC9 on runway 22 at lga airport, we were advised that our gate was occupied. We were told to taxi on taxiway B and hold short of taxiway G until able to taxi to our gate. After waiting for close to 20 mins, we were called by company to come in. We called ramp control and received clearance to the alley and that the gate was unoccupied. With the left engine shut down, we proceeded to our gate. The turn to the gate required a r-hand turn while taxiing down through the alley. Rain had been falling at lga and had pretty much let up by the time we arrived. There was, however, standing water on the ramp in some areas. The first officer and myself opened our cockpit windows for better visibility. As we taxied straight down through the alley, I looked off to my right and saw the lead-in marshaller waving me in with his lighted wands. Before I made my r-hand turn onto the taxi line, I made sure both the left and right wing walkers were in place. My first officer then informed me that I was clear on the right. I looked out my side and verbally cleared the left side with the first officer. I then looked out the first officer's window and confirmed it was clear on the right side. First officer responded again it was clear on the right. The lead-in marshaller was waving me in and instructing me to turn right and follow the straight line to the gate. I was very much aware of baggage carts and tugs on my right side. As I turned right following the lead marshaller, I estimate the gate and stopping point to be 40-60 ft away. Plenty of distance to get lined up straight on the lead-in line and to follow the lead-in marshaller. Taxiing very slowly, the aircraft slowed way up. I had to add power to get it to move forward again. At about 10-15 ft from the gate, the first officer and I felt 2 distinct thumps. I thought we had run over a wheel chock. All this time I was still being waved forward to the gate. Once we did arrive at the gate, we completed our parking checklist and waited for the passenger to deplane. Once they were off, the r-hand wing walker came up into the cockpit to tell us that our right wingtip just behind the green position lights had struck a baggage tug. He claimed the girl driving the tug was new to the job and she thought she was short of the hold line. We never even saw the tug as we were pulling into the gate. We had 2 deadheading crew members in the back on the right side off the aircraft who said they saw the tug just before impact. They said the driver realized she was too close and was giving the wing walker the stop signal but he never acknowledged her. We feel that because we were late, they were under pressure to get us turned and out as soon as possible. We feel the tug driver was safe when we entered the alley or else we would have seen her. I feel she was hurried and she was attempting to get in place and ran into our wingtip. This entire incident could be avoided if there was adequate lighting in the ramp areas, and better hold short lines for ground personnel. Also, ground handlers should not be allowed to approach a moving aircraft. We were very lucky someone was not seriously hurt. My first officer and I did all we could to insure clearance and were relying on the ground personnel to lead us in safely.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DC9 WINGTIP STRIKES TUG WHILE PARKING.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG COMPANY DC9 ON RWY 22 AT LGA ARPT, WE WERE ADVISED THAT OUR GATE WAS OCCUPIED. WE WERE TOLD TO TAXI ON TXWY B AND HOLD SHORT OF TXWY G UNTIL ABLE TO TAXI TO OUR GATE. AFTER WAITING FOR CLOSE TO 20 MINS, WE WERE CALLED BY COMPANY TO COME IN. WE CALLED RAMP CTL AND RECEIVED CLRNC TO THE ALLEY AND THAT THE GATE WAS UNOCCUPIED. WITH THE L ENG SHUT DOWN, WE PROCEEDED TO OUR GATE. THE TURN TO THE GATE REQUIRED A R-HAND TURN WHILE TAXIING DOWN THROUGH THE ALLEY. RAIN HAD BEEN FALLING AT LGA AND HAD PRETTY MUCH LET UP BY THE TIME WE ARRIVED. THERE WAS, HOWEVER, STANDING WATER ON THE RAMP IN SOME AREAS. THE FO AND MYSELF OPENED OUR COCKPIT WINDOWS FOR BETTER VISIBILITY. AS WE TAXIED STRAIGHT DOWN THROUGH THE ALLEY, I LOOKED OFF TO MY R AND SAW THE LEAD-IN MARSHALLER WAVING ME IN WITH HIS LIGHTED WANDS. BEFORE I MADE MY R-HAND TURN ONTO THE TAXI LINE, I MADE SURE BOTH THE L AND R WING WALKERS WERE IN PLACE. MY FO THEN INFORMED ME THAT I WAS CLR ON THE R. I LOOKED OUT MY SIDE AND VERBALLY CLRED THE L SIDE WITH THE FO. I THEN LOOKED OUT THE FO'S WINDOW AND CONFIRMED IT WAS CLR ON THE R SIDE. FO RESPONDED AGAIN IT WAS CLR ON THE R. THE LEAD-IN MARSHALLER WAS WAVING ME IN AND INSTRUCTING ME TO TURN R AND FOLLOW THE STRAIGHT LINE TO THE GATE. I WAS VERY MUCH AWARE OF BAGGAGE CARTS AND TUGS ON MY R SIDE. AS I TURNED R FOLLOWING THE LEAD MARSHALLER, I ESTIMATE THE GATE AND STOPPING POINT TO BE 40-60 FT AWAY. PLENTY OF DISTANCE TO GET LINED UP STRAIGHT ON THE LEAD-IN LINE AND TO FOLLOW THE LEAD-IN MARSHALLER. TAXIING VERY SLOWLY, THE ACFT SLOWED WAY UP. I HAD TO ADD PWR TO GET IT TO MOVE FORWARD AGAIN. AT ABOUT 10-15 FT FROM THE GATE, THE FO AND I FELT 2 DISTINCT THUMPS. I THOUGHT WE HAD RUN OVER A WHEEL CHOCK. ALL THIS TIME I WAS STILL BEING WAVED FORWARD TO THE GATE. ONCE WE DID ARRIVE AT THE GATE, WE COMPLETED OUR PARKING CHKLIST AND WAITED FOR THE PAX TO DEPLANE. ONCE THEY WERE OFF, THE R-HAND WING WALKER CAME UP INTO THE COCKPIT TO TELL US THAT OUR R WINGTIP JUST BEHIND THE GREEN POS LIGHTS HAD STRUCK A BAGGAGE TUG. HE CLAIMED THE GIRL DRIVING THE TUG WAS NEW TO THE JOB AND SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS SHORT OF THE HOLD LINE. WE NEVER EVEN SAW THE TUG AS WE WERE PULLING INTO THE GATE. WE HAD 2 DEADHEADING CREW MEMBERS IN THE BACK ON THE R SIDE OFF THE ACFT WHO SAID THEY SAW THE TUG JUST BEFORE IMPACT. THEY SAID THE DRIVER REALIZED SHE WAS TOO CLOSE AND WAS GIVING THE WING WALKER THE STOP SIGNAL BUT HE NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED HER. WE FEEL THAT BECAUSE WE WERE LATE, THEY WERE UNDER PRESSURE TO GET US TURNED AND OUT ASAP. WE FEEL THE TUG DRIVER WAS SAFE WHEN WE ENTERED THE ALLEY OR ELSE WE WOULD HAVE SEEN HER. I FEEL SHE WAS HURRIED AND SHE WAS ATTEMPTING TO GET IN PLACE AND RAN INTO OUR WINGTIP. THIS ENTIRE INCIDENT COULD BE AVOIDED IF THERE WAS ADEQUATE LIGHTING IN THE RAMP AREAS, AND BETTER HOLD SHORT LINES FOR GND PERSONNEL. ALSO, GND HANDLERS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO APCH A MOVING ACFT. WE WERE VERY LUCKY SOMEONE WAS NOT SERIOUSLY HURT. MY FO AND I DID ALL WE COULD TO INSURE CLRNC AND WERE RELYING ON THE GND PERSONNEL TO LEAD US IN SAFELY.

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.