Narrative:

We were taxiing into the gate to park the aircraft. 2 wing walkers and the head marshaller were in position and we alertly followed their guidance. There was a stair truck on the left, but parked outside the safety line and the left wing walker gave us the thumbs up. After deplaning, we were informed that the left wingtip had contacted the top of the stair truck, fortunately, there was no damage. Turns out the safety line was not a safety line at all, but a line marking a pedestrian walkway to be used by passenger on freighter-combis, when no jetway is used, due to aft enplaning and deplaning. This gate was new to our company and had yet to be surveyed and marked for safety lines. Flight operations has been trying, unsuccessfully, for months to have new lines painted at all of our gates at anc. The few lines we have are difficult to see and some have worn away over the yrs until almost obliterated. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter said that the aircraft wing was not damaged, just some paint scratches on the tip. The guard RAIL on the air stairs were plastic and they were damaged. For some reason the air carrier maintenance department has been 'dragging their feet' on repainting the lines on this new gate and correcting the deficiencies on the older lines on other gates. He feels that their viewpoint has changed since this incident and is going to report back regarding their 'new stance.' the left wing walker did notice a problem of clearance at the last moment and told the reporter later that he was jumping up and down trying to stop the marshaller's 'come forward' signals but all for naught. The marshaller was just watching the nosewheel and its reference to the stop line. A sad, old, familiar story.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-400 L WINGTIP HITS A SET OF AIRSTAIRS MOUNTED ON A TRUCK AT ANC ARPT RAMP. ACFT WAS GUIDED BY 2 WING WALKERS AND A MARSHALLER. L WING WALKER GAVE OK SIGN TO PIC AS TRUCK WAS OUTSIDE OF LINE. LINE WAS A MARKING FOR PEDESTRIAN TFC, NOT A GND EQUIP PLACEMENT LINE. THIS WAS A NEW GATE FOR THE ACR.

Narrative: WE WERE TAXIING INTO THE GATE TO PARK THE ACFT. 2 WING WALKERS AND THE HEAD MARSHALLER WERE IN POS AND WE ALERTLY FOLLOWED THEIR GUIDANCE. THERE WAS A STAIR TRUCK ON THE L, BUT PARKED OUTSIDE THE SAFETY LINE AND THE L WING WALKER GAVE US THE THUMBS UP. AFTER DEPLANING, WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE L WINGTIP HAD CONTACTED THE TOP OF THE STAIR TRUCK, FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NO DAMAGE. TURNS OUT THE SAFETY LINE WAS NOT A SAFETY LINE AT ALL, BUT A LINE MARKING A PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY TO BE USED BY PAX ON FREIGHTER-COMBIS, WHEN NO JETWAY IS USED, DUE TO AFT ENPLANING AND DEPLANING. THIS GATE WAS NEW TO OUR COMPANY AND HAD YET TO BE SURVEYED AND MARKED FOR SAFETY LINES. FLT OPS HAS BEEN TRYING, UNSUCCESSFULLY, FOR MONTHS TO HAVE NEW LINES PAINTED AT ALL OF OUR GATES AT ANC. THE FEW LINES WE HAVE ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE AND SOME HAVE WORN AWAY OVER THE YRS UNTIL ALMOST OBLITERATED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR SAID THAT THE ACFT WING WAS NOT DAMAGED, JUST SOME PAINT SCRATCHES ON THE TIP. THE GUARD RAIL ON THE AIR STAIRS WERE PLASTIC AND THEY WERE DAMAGED. FOR SOME REASON THE ACR MAINT DEPT HAS BEEN 'DRAGGING THEIR FEET' ON REPAINTING THE LINES ON THIS NEW GATE AND CORRECTING THE DEFICIENCIES ON THE OLDER LINES ON OTHER GATES. HE FEELS THAT THEIR VIEWPOINT HAS CHANGED SINCE THIS INCIDENT AND IS GOING TO RPT BACK REGARDING THEIR 'NEW STANCE.' THE L WING WALKER DID NOTICE A PROB OF CLRNC AT THE LAST MOMENT AND TOLD THE RPTR LATER THAT HE WAS JUMPING UP AND DOWN TRYING TO STOP THE MARSHALLER'S 'COME FORWARD' SIGNALS BUT ALL FOR NAUGHT. THE MARSHALLER WAS JUST WATCHING THE NOSEWHEEL AND ITS REF TO THE STOP LINE. A SAD, OLD, FAMILIAR STORY.

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.