Narrative:

On mar/xx/97, I was acting as a first officer on flight xx to denver. At approximately YY50Z the flight was cleared to land on runway 7 at denver. After landing the flight was told to exit at B4 and proceed to as to the gate. The tower also told us to stay with them and not go to ground. As we reached the intersection of B4 and aa/as we were instructed to contact ramp control. The captain asked to get a clarification as to which taxiway ramp control wanted us to use. Ramp control advised us to use taxiway as to the gate (which was arrival). As we approached the gate I commented that it looked like we were getting very close to the side of a concrete wall that is used to support a walkway bridge over the taxiway. As we emerged on the other side of the walkway I felt a slight bump. The bump felt like we had taxied over a drain gate. After we pulled into the gate one of the ramp personnel came to the flight deck and advised us that we had hit the bridge that goes over the taxiway. The captain and I looked at the tail of the aircraft and could see what appeared to be some damage. The captain went and called flight control and I walked to the bridge. Upon arrival at the bridge I was handed some pieces of the aircraft. Later I threw these pieces into the trash bag located on the aircraft. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: both pilots have been grounded since this incident pending the outcome of the disciplinary board requested by the air carrier. Reporter stated that this is not the first time the walkway bridge has been struck. It has happened to other acrs before. They were cleared by ramp control the route to use to get to their gate. Ramp control knew what size aircraft they were flying, so the flight crew assumed the route was safe. The captain had used the taxi route previously but only in flying a smaller aircraft. He never had any problems before taxiing that route so assumed this clearance was safe. The problem arises with the fact that they had a NOTAM in their possession that stated it was an unsafe route for aircraft of B757 size and greater. First officer felt that the width of the taxi route was unsafe, but not the ht under the bridge. There was no feeling of striking anything when it happened, it felt like they ran over a drain grate. The marshaller was the one who informed them of the damage to the aircraft. Damage to the bridge was small. It had one piece of bent metal and paint scrape. The NOTAM was at the end of a long list of flight dispatch items that the flight crew never got around to reading. The taxiway had no markings of any hazard to taxi to the B757. While the flight crew is waiting for their hearing with the air carrier, FSDO has taken no action.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 STRIKES BRIDGE THAT CROSSES OVER TXWY AND DAMAGES TOP OF RUDDER AT DEN.

Narrative: ON MAR/XX/97, I WAS ACTING AS A FO ON FLT XX TO DENVER. AT APPROX YY50Z THE FLT WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 7 AT DENVER. AFTER LNDG THE FLT WAS TOLD TO EXIT AT B4 AND PROCEED TO AS TO THE GATE. THE TWR ALSO TOLD US TO STAY WITH THEM AND NOT GO TO GND. AS WE REACHED THE INTXN OF B4 AND AA/AS WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT RAMP CTL. THE CAPT ASKED TO GET A CLARIFICATION AS TO WHICH TXWY RAMP CTL WANTED US TO USE. RAMP CTL ADVISED US TO USE TXWY AS TO THE GATE (WHICH WAS ARR). AS WE APCHED THE GATE I COMMENTED THAT IT LOOKED LIKE WE WERE GETTING VERY CLOSE TO THE SIDE OF A CONCRETE WALL THAT IS USED TO SUPPORT A WALKWAY BRIDGE OVER THE TXWY. AS WE EMERGED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALKWAY I FELT A SLIGHT BUMP. THE BUMP FELT LIKE WE HAD TAXIED OVER A DRAIN GATE. AFTER WE PULLED INTO THE GATE ONE OF THE RAMP PERSONNEL CAME TO THE FLT DECK AND ADVISED US THAT WE HAD HIT THE BRIDGE THAT GOES OVER THE TXWY. THE CAPT AND I LOOKED AT THE TAIL OF THE ACFT AND COULD SEE WHAT APPEARED TO BE SOME DAMAGE. THE CAPT WENT AND CALLED FLT CTL AND I WALKED TO THE BRIDGE. UPON ARR AT THE BRIDGE I WAS HANDED SOME PIECES OF THE ACFT. LATER I THREW THESE PIECES INTO THE TRASH BAG LOCATED ON THE ACFT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: BOTH PLTS HAVE BEEN GNDED SINCE THIS INCIDENT PENDING THE OUTCOME OF THE DISCIPLINARY BOARD REQUESTED BY THE ACR. RPTR STATED THAT THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THE WALKWAY BRIDGE HAS BEEN STRUCK. IT HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER ACRS BEFORE. THEY WERE CLRED BY RAMP CTL THE RTE TO USE TO GET TO THEIR GATE. RAMP CTL KNEW WHAT SIZE ACFT THEY WERE FLYING, SO THE FLC ASSUMED THE RTE WAS SAFE. THE CAPT HAD USED THE TAXI RTE PREVIOUSLY BUT ONLY IN FLYING A SMALLER ACFT. HE NEVER HAD ANY PROBS BEFORE TAXIING THAT RTE SO ASSUMED THIS CLRNC WAS SAFE. THE PROB ARISES WITH THE FACT THAT THEY HAD A NOTAM IN THEIR POSSESSION THAT STATED IT WAS AN UNSAFE RTE FOR ACFT OF B757 SIZE AND GREATER. FO FELT THAT THE WIDTH OF THE TAXI RTE WAS UNSAFE, BUT NOT THE HT UNDER THE BRIDGE. THERE WAS NO FEELING OF STRIKING ANYTHING WHEN IT HAPPENED, IT FELT LIKE THEY RAN OVER A DRAIN GRATE. THE MARSHALLER WAS THE ONE WHO INFORMED THEM OF THE DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. DAMAGE TO THE BRIDGE WAS SMALL. IT HAD ONE PIECE OF BENT METAL AND PAINT SCRAPE. THE NOTAM WAS AT THE END OF A LONG LIST OF FLT DISPATCH ITEMS THAT THE FLC NEVER GOT AROUND TO READING. THE TXWY HAD NO MARKINGS OF ANY HAZARD TO TAXI TO THE B757. WHILE THE FLC IS WAITING FOR THEIR HEARING WITH THE ACR, FSDO HAS TAKEN NO ACTION.

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.