Narrative:

NASA note: the following is an edited (names deleted) version of the 'captain's report' which I faxed to the airline feb/xy/97. Time of incident: XC50 PST (approximately) feb/xx/97. Location: sfo ramp approaching gate xx. Area of concern: taxi guidance and positioning of ramp equipment. Note: this report is in response to a phone call from a flight duty manager, feb/xy/97, at XX50 PST. He questioned me about damage to the right winglet as a result of contact with a tailstand during taxi-in to gate xx at sfo. (Maintenance personnel had found a crack in the right winglet during post-flight inspection.) I was at home, and the telephone call was my first information relating to the possibility of there having been an incident. Narrative: just prior to landing, tower asked us to roll to the end of the runway because our gate was occupied. We did so, and held short on taxiway south until cleared to taxi via taxiway a to gate xx. At some point ground control let us know that another aircraft was delaying pushback until we passed behind. I expedited taxi on taxiway a until approaching the alleyway into gate xx. As I turned into the alley, the first officer turned down my VHF volume, and I commented on the large amount of equipment parked at the end of the alley -- quite close to the r-hand side of the turn line into the gate. The first officer gave me very frequent ground speed and 'clear right' calls. I had requested that everyone be extra vigilant, this being my first flight after my initial check-out as captain on the B747-400. I paid extremely close attention to the taxi guidance and turn-in lines, and recall that the ground speed calls were 6, 5, and 4 KTS. As I rolled out on the gate line, I noticed a person standing on the centerline, between the stop lines and the terminal. I also noticed that I could barely discern the red vertical lines on either side of the green line on the rlg guidance system. This indicated to me that the nosewheel was exactly on centerline. I crosschecked the person on the centerline, and alerted myself for a stop signal from either the ground person, or the red stop light. The person was motionless, the amber 'dead slow' lights came on, and I heard '2 KTS' as the last speed call. The red 'stop' lights came on, and I came to a smooth stop. NASA note: my report to the company ends as above. I have been in contact with a number of people in pilot group and company management. No one seems to know what caused the damage. It is generally agreed that the approach to gate xx is hazardous. Several people agreed with my recollection that gate xx was at some time since 1987 a tow-in only gate, tow-in to be accompanied with wing walkers verifying wingtip clearance. Conclusions: the sfo airport is one of the most hazardous airports for wide-body airplanes during taxi. Exact tracking on center and turn lines is a must. Strict adherence to equipment parking zones is also a must. I question the clrncs as they exist. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter received a letter from his company indicating that several other aircraft had wingtip strikes while parking at the same gate. As he turned into the gate, the flight crew felt that the parking area was crowded with nearby ground equipment. The captain had the aircraft on centerline and stopped at the appropriate parking stop point. Nothing was known of the strike until the next day. As time went on his flight manager wrote him a letter indicating he was not at fault. Also, there had been several other wingtip strikes, so, the flight manager stated they were going to repaint the limit lines to indicate that the ground equipment users park the equipment farther back.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B747-400 HAS WINGTIP STRIKE DURING PARKING AT SFO.

Narrative: NASA NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS AN EDITED (NAMES DELETED) VERSION OF THE 'CAPT'S RPT' WHICH I FAXED TO THE AIRLINE FEB/XY/97. TIME OF INCIDENT: XC50 PST (APPROX) FEB/XX/97. LOCATION: SFO RAMP APCHING GATE XX. AREA OF CONCERN: TAXI GUIDANCE AND POSITIONING OF RAMP EQUIP. NOTE: THIS RPT IS IN RESPONSE TO A PHONE CALL FROM A FLT DUTY MGR, FEB/XY/97, AT XX50 PST. HE QUESTIONED ME ABOUT DAMAGE TO THE R WINGLET AS A RESULT OF CONTACT WITH A TAILSTAND DURING TAXI-IN TO GATE XX AT SFO. (MAINT PERSONNEL HAD FOUND A CRACK IN THE R WINGLET DURING POST-FLT INSPECTION.) I WAS AT HOME, AND THE TELEPHONE CALL WAS MY FIRST INFO RELATING TO THE POSSIBILITY OF THERE HAVING BEEN AN INCIDENT. NARRATIVE: JUST PRIOR TO LNDG, TWR ASKED US TO ROLL TO THE END OF THE RWY BECAUSE OUR GATE WAS OCCUPIED. WE DID SO, AND HELD SHORT ON TXWY S UNTIL CLRED TO TAXI VIA TXWY A TO GATE XX. AT SOME POINT GND CTL LET US KNOW THAT ANOTHER ACFT WAS DELAYING PUSHBACK UNTIL WE PASSED BEHIND. I EXPEDITED TAXI ON TXWY A UNTIL APCHING THE ALLEYWAY INTO GATE XX. AS I TURNED INTO THE ALLEY, THE FO TURNED DOWN MY VHF VOLUME, AND I COMMENTED ON THE LARGE AMOUNT OF EQUIP PARKED AT THE END OF THE ALLEY -- QUITE CLOSE TO THE R-HAND SIDE OF THE TURN LINE INTO THE GATE. THE FO GAVE ME VERY FREQUENT GND SPD AND 'CLR R' CALLS. I HAD REQUESTED THAT EVERYONE BE EXTRA VIGILANT, THIS BEING MY FIRST FLT AFTER MY INITIAL CHK-OUT AS CAPT ON THE B747-400. I PAID EXTREMELY CLOSE ATTN TO THE TAXI GUIDANCE AND TURN-IN LINES, AND RECALL THAT THE GND SPD CALLS WERE 6, 5, AND 4 KTS. AS I ROLLED OUT ON THE GATE LINE, I NOTICED A PERSON STANDING ON THE CTRLINE, BTWN THE STOP LINES AND THE TERMINAL. I ALSO NOTICED THAT I COULD BARELY DISCERN THE RED VERT LINES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE GREEN LINE ON THE RLG GUIDANCE SYS. THIS INDICATED TO ME THAT THE NOSEWHEEL WAS EXACTLY ON CTRLINE. I XCHKED THE PERSON ON THE CTRLINE, AND ALERTED MYSELF FOR A STOP SIGNAL FROM EITHER THE GND PERSON, OR THE RED STOP LIGHT. THE PERSON WAS MOTIONLESS, THE AMBER 'DEAD SLOW' LIGHTS CAME ON, AND I HEARD '2 KTS' AS THE LAST SPD CALL. THE RED 'STOP' LIGHTS CAME ON, AND I CAME TO A SMOOTH STOP. NASA NOTE: MY RPT TO THE COMPANY ENDS AS ABOVE. I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH A NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN PLT GROUP AND COMPANY MGMNT. NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE DAMAGE. IT IS GENERALLY AGREED THAT THE APCH TO GATE XX IS HAZARDOUS. SEVERAL PEOPLE AGREED WITH MY RECOLLECTION THAT GATE XX WAS AT SOME TIME SINCE 1987 A TOW-IN ONLY GATE, TOW-IN TO BE ACCOMPANIED WITH WING WALKERS VERIFYING WINGTIP CLRNC. CONCLUSIONS: THE SFO ARPT IS ONE OF THE MOST HAZARDOUS ARPTS FOR WIDE-BODY AIRPLANES DURING TAXI. EXACT TRACKING ON CTR AND TURN LINES IS A MUST. STRICT ADHERENCE TO EQUIP PARKING ZONES IS ALSO A MUST. I QUESTION THE CLRNCS AS THEY EXIST. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR RECEIVED A LETTER FROM HIS COMPANY INDICATING THAT SEVERAL OTHER ACFT HAD WINGTIP STRIKES WHILE PARKING AT THE SAME GATE. AS HE TURNED INTO THE GATE, THE FLC FELT THAT THE PARKING AREA WAS CROWDED WITH NEARBY GND EQUIP. THE CAPT HAD THE ACFT ON CTRLINE AND STOPPED AT THE APPROPRIATE PARKING STOP POINT. NOTHING WAS KNOWN OF THE STRIKE UNTIL THE NEXT DAY. AS TIME WENT ON HIS FLT MGR WROTE HIM A LETTER INDICATING HE WAS NOT AT FAULT. ALSO, THERE HAD BEEN SEVERAL OTHER WINGTIP STRIKES, SO, THE FLT MGR STATED THEY WERE GOING TO REPAINT THE LIMIT LINES TO INDICATE THAT THE GND EQUIP USERS PARK THE EQUIP FARTHER BACK.

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.