Narrative:

Location: montreal dorval international apron cleared us to taxi and wait behind an airbus at the end of the west finger. Apron later cleared us to taxi to the west of a barricade and then follow the airbus to runway 6L. The airbus was east of the barricade where there was no taxi line. We were told to go around the west side of the barricade and it made sense because the yellow taxi line followed that direction. We were on the yellow taxi line as we approached 3 separate barricades. Basically these barricades were areas for some concrete repair. They were circular areas about 8-10 ft in diameter surrounded by orange cones and red lights. In the middle there was a 7 ft light stand that was being used as a generator for the red lights. The flat array of lights in the actual light stand was not being used. They just needed a generator. Anyway, we taxied on the yellow line past the first 2 barricades without incident. We struck the third with the right wing. We felt like we had hit a bump in the pavement. We discussed this and then a flight attendant informed us of a problem with the wing hitting something. We called apron and told them we needed to return to the gate. A pilot told us that our wing and lights looked fine to him, but we elected to go back and have maintenance take a look. The damage was pretty bad. There was a dent and 2 holes about an inch in diameter in the front of the wing, and a hole about a ft in diameter at the trailing edge. The damage on the plane was 17 paces from centerline. We then went out to the incident site an the distance from the yellow taxi line to the light stand was 17 paces. We walked back to the second light stand and the distance between that stand and the yellow line was 22 paces. Obviously, being on the yellow line did not insure clearance. In fact, it gave us a false sense of security. There were no NOTAMS, no F-4 messages, no ATIS cautions, and no taxi instructions to help avoid this incident. Being on the yellow line is not always good enough. I will not fall into this trap again. Supplemental information from acn 350648: both the first officer and I were confidant that the aircraft was on the taxi line and I feel this is confirmed. We do not recall anything else going on in the cockpit other than responding to taxi instructions and normal checklists that would have contributed to not noticing the third stand being too close. I am not of the habit of putting full confidence in taxi lines assuring me adequate wingtip clearance. Today unfortunately, I did not have my guard up so to speak. I believe a contribution factor was judging the first 2 stands and the confidence of being on the taxi line.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WING OF TAXIING SUPER 80 HITS LIGHT STAND NEAR ARPT RAMP CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY. ARPT PROB OBSTRUCTION.

Narrative: LOCATION: MONTREAL DORVAL INTL APRON CLRED US TO TAXI AND WAIT BEHIND AN AIRBUS AT THE END OF THE W FINGER. APRON LATER CLRED US TO TAXI TO THE W OF A BARRICADE AND THEN FOLLOW THE AIRBUS TO RWY 6L. THE AIRBUS WAS E OF THE BARRICADE WHERE THERE WAS NO TAXI LINE. WE WERE TOLD TO GAR THE W SIDE OF THE BARRICADE AND IT MADE SENSE BECAUSE THE YELLOW TAXI LINE FOLLOWED THAT DIRECTION. WE WERE ON THE YELLOW TAXI LINE AS WE APCHED 3 SEPARATE BARRICADES. BASICALLY THESE BARRICADES WERE AREAS FOR SOME CONCRETE REPAIR. THEY WERE CIRCULAR AREAS ABOUT 8-10 FT IN DIAMETER SURROUNDED BY ORANGE CONES AND RED LIGHTS. IN THE MIDDLE THERE WAS A 7 FT LIGHT STAND THAT WAS BEING USED AS A GENERATOR FOR THE RED LIGHTS. THE FLAT ARRAY OF LIGHTS IN THE ACTUAL LIGHT STAND WAS NOT BEING USED. THEY JUST NEEDED A GENERATOR. ANYWAY, WE TAXIED ON THE YELLOW LINE PAST THE FIRST 2 BARRICADES WITHOUT INCIDENT. WE STRUCK THE THIRD WITH THE R WING. WE FELT LIKE WE HAD HIT A BUMP IN THE PAVEMENT. WE DISCUSSED THIS AND THEN A FLT ATTENDANT INFORMED US OF A PROB WITH THE WING HITTING SOMETHING. WE CALLED APRON AND TOLD THEM WE NEEDED TO RETURN TO THE GATE. A PLT TOLD US THAT OUR WING AND LIGHTS LOOKED FINE TO HIM, BUT WE ELECTED TO GO BACK AND HAVE MAINT TAKE A LOOK. THE DAMAGE WAS PRETTY BAD. THERE WAS A DENT AND 2 HOLES ABOUT AN INCH IN DIAMETER IN THE FRONT OF THE WING, AND A HOLE ABOUT A FT IN DIAMETER AT THE TRAILING EDGE. THE DAMAGE ON THE PLANE WAS 17 PACES FROM CTRLINE. WE THEN WENT OUT TO THE INCIDENT SITE AN THE DISTANCE FROM THE YELLOW TAXI LINE TO THE LIGHT STAND WAS 17 PACES. WE WALKED BACK TO THE SECOND LIGHT STAND AND THE DISTANCE BTWN THAT STAND AND THE YELLOW LINE WAS 22 PACES. OBVIOUSLY, BEING ON THE YELLOW LINE DID NOT INSURE CLRNC. IN FACT, IT GAVE US A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY. THERE WERE NO NOTAMS, NO F-4 MESSAGES, NO ATIS CAUTIONS, AND NO TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO HELP AVOID THIS INCIDENT. BEING ON THE YELLOW LINE IS NOT ALWAYS GOOD ENOUGH. I WILL NOT FALL INTO THIS TRAP AGAIN. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 350648: BOTH THE FO AND I WERE CONFIDANT THAT THE ACFT WAS ON THE TAXI LINE AND I FEEL THIS IS CONFIRMED. WE DO NOT RECALL ANYTHING ELSE GOING ON IN THE COCKPIT OTHER THAN RESPONDING TO TAXI INSTRUCTIONS AND NORMAL CHKLISTS THAT WOULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO NOT NOTICING THE THIRD STAND BEING TOO CLOSE. I AM NOT OF THE HABIT OF PUTTING FULL CONFIDENCE IN TAXI LINES ASSURING ME ADEQUATE WINGTIP CLRNC. TODAY UNFORTUNATELY, I DID NOT HAVE MY GUARD UP SO TO SPEAK. I BELIEVE A CONTRIBUTION FACTOR WAS JUDGING THE FIRST 2 STANDS AND THE CONFIDENCE OF BEING ON THE TAXI LINE.

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.