Narrative:

Taxiing in to the gate area at night in heavy rainshower and blustery winds. Visually cleared the area for obstacles, shut down #2 engine, and flashed the taxi light to the marshaller to indicate positive xfer of guidance. She then guided us forward to the stop point, gave us the stop signal, then ran away without giving the airplane receipt complete (arc) signal. I did not turn off the seatbelt sign or #1 engine yet and was about to push the ground call button to try and get her attention, when I noticed the jetway driver motioning that we still needed to come forward. I pointed down below my window to indicate that I saw the marshaller rushing to the nosewheel area, and the jetway driver then was able to yell to her the parking problem. The first officer made a PA announcement to the passenger to remain seated while we repositioned the aircraft. I then tried to follow the marshaller's directions. She first directed us to come forward and before I got #1 spooled up enough to move, she put both wands in her right hand and pointed with her outstretched left arm towards our right. I took this to mean she wanted me to turn the aircraft towards the right, so the moment the plane started moving I put in a slight right turn. Almost immediately after we started moving, the marshaller returned the wands to normal handling and directed us to come straight forward. I let the plane creep along very slowly since I knew we didn't have far to move. Approximately 5 seconds after we started moving, the aircraft gently stopped on its own as if one of the wheels had encountered a rut. The marshaller was still directing us to come forward, so I put more power to the engine, but before I could get the aircraft moving again, she gave us the stop signal and again ran away without giving us the arc signal. I then saw the jetway driver bringing the jetway towards us, indicating that the aircraft wheels were chocked, and I decided it was ok to shut down #1. We then proceeded with the parking checklist and remaining cockpit duties. The jetway driver came up to us later in the cockpit to tell us the marshaller was new to the company and he asked us to close the entry door on our way out since she had guided us too far forward and the door could not stay open in the usual manner. We did this and headed to our layover. The next afternoon upon arrival at our outbound flight's jetway, we were told the plane of the previous night's flight had hit a belt loader that had pulled up in front of the #2 engine after we were stopped the first time. We were also told that no cargo doors had been opened, that no one was hurt, and that the supervisor had known about the incident immediately. No one attempted to inform us of the mishap during our 16 hour layover at the hotel. I do not know what the extent of the damage was to the engine cowling. To prevent recurrence: better training of ramp personnel, better training of parking procedures, tightening up our new parking guidance sops, increase ramp lighting, repaint lead-in and stop lines. Supplemental information from acn 407040: we had to expedite our approach and landing into the airport because of thunderstorms moving in over the field. By the time we landed, rain had begun falling at the airport. The marshaller initially stopped us and then motioned for us to move forward again. The jetway driver was shouting at the marshaller that the initial stop point wasn't forward enough to open the aircraft door. It was difficult to hear exactly what was being said because of the driving rain and engine noise.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR MLG HITS A BELT LOADER WITH #2 ENG WHILE ATTEMPTING A PARKING PROC AT ORF, VA.

Narrative: TAXIING IN TO THE GATE AREA AT NIGHT IN HVY RAINSHOWER AND BLUSTERY WINDS. VISUALLY CLRED THE AREA FOR OBSTACLES, SHUT DOWN #2 ENG, AND FLASHED THE TAXI LIGHT TO THE MARSHALLER TO INDICATE POSITIVE XFER OF GUIDANCE. SHE THEN GUIDED US FORWARD TO THE STOP POINT, GAVE US THE STOP SIGNAL, THEN RAN AWAY WITHOUT GIVING THE AIRPLANE RECEIPT COMPLETE (ARC) SIGNAL. I DID NOT TURN OFF THE SEATBELT SIGN OR #1 ENG YET AND WAS ABOUT TO PUSH THE GND CALL BUTTON TO TRY AND GET HER ATTN, WHEN I NOTICED THE JETWAY DRIVER MOTIONING THAT WE STILL NEEDED TO COME FORWARD. I POINTED DOWN BELOW MY WINDOW TO INDICATE THAT I SAW THE MARSHALLER RUSHING TO THE NOSEWHEEL AREA, AND THE JETWAY DRIVER THEN WAS ABLE TO YELL TO HER THE PARKING PROB. THE FO MADE A PA ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX TO REMAIN SEATED WHILE WE REPOSITIONED THE ACFT. I THEN TRIED TO FOLLOW THE MARSHALLER'S DIRECTIONS. SHE FIRST DIRECTED US TO COME FORWARD AND BEFORE I GOT #1 SPOOLED UP ENOUGH TO MOVE, SHE PUT BOTH WANDS IN HER R HAND AND POINTED WITH HER OUTSTRETCHED L ARM TOWARDS OUR R. I TOOK THIS TO MEAN SHE WANTED ME TO TURN THE ACFT TOWARDS THE R, SO THE MOMENT THE PLANE STARTED MOVING I PUT IN A SLIGHT R TURN. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER WE STARTED MOVING, THE MARSHALLER RETURNED THE WANDS TO NORMAL HANDLING AND DIRECTED US TO COME STRAIGHT FORWARD. I LET THE PLANE CREEP ALONG VERY SLOWLY SINCE I KNEW WE DIDN'T HAVE FAR TO MOVE. APPROX 5 SECONDS AFTER WE STARTED MOVING, THE ACFT GENTLY STOPPED ON ITS OWN AS IF ONE OF THE WHEELS HAD ENCOUNTERED A RUT. THE MARSHALLER WAS STILL DIRECTING US TO COME FORWARD, SO I PUT MORE PWR TO THE ENG, BUT BEFORE I COULD GET THE ACFT MOVING AGAIN, SHE GAVE US THE STOP SIGNAL AND AGAIN RAN AWAY WITHOUT GIVING US THE ARC SIGNAL. I THEN SAW THE JETWAY DRIVER BRINGING THE JETWAY TOWARDS US, INDICATING THAT THE ACFT WHEELS WERE CHOCKED, AND I DECIDED IT WAS OK TO SHUT DOWN #1. WE THEN PROCEEDED WITH THE PARKING CHKLIST AND REMAINING COCKPIT DUTIES. THE JETWAY DRIVER CAME UP TO US LATER IN THE COCKPIT TO TELL US THE MARSHALLER WAS NEW TO THE COMPANY AND HE ASKED US TO CLOSE THE ENTRY DOOR ON OUR WAY OUT SINCE SHE HAD GUIDED US TOO FAR FORWARD AND THE DOOR COULD NOT STAY OPEN IN THE USUAL MANNER. WE DID THIS AND HEADED TO OUR LAYOVER. THE NEXT AFTERNOON UPON ARR AT OUR OUTBOUND FLT'S JETWAY, WE WERE TOLD THE PLANE OF THE PREVIOUS NIGHT'S FLT HAD HIT A BELT LOADER THAT HAD PULLED UP IN FRONT OF THE #2 ENG AFTER WE WERE STOPPED THE FIRST TIME. WE WERE ALSO TOLD THAT NO CARGO DOORS HAD BEEN OPENED, THAT NO ONE WAS HURT, AND THAT THE SUPVR HAD KNOWN ABOUT THE INCIDENT IMMEDIATELY. NO ONE ATTEMPTED TO INFORM US OF THE MISHAP DURING OUR 16 HR LAYOVER AT THE HOTEL. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE WAS TO THE ENG COWLING. TO PREVENT RECURRENCE: BETTER TRAINING OF RAMP PERSONNEL, BETTER TRAINING OF PARKING PROCS, TIGHTENING UP OUR NEW PARKING GUIDANCE SOPS, INCREASE RAMP LIGHTING, REPAINT LEAD-IN AND STOP LINES. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 407040: WE HAD TO EXPEDITE OUR APCH AND LNDG INTO THE ARPT BECAUSE OF TSTMS MOVING IN OVER THE FIELD. BY THE TIME WE LANDED, RAIN HAD BEGUN FALLING AT THE ARPT. THE MARSHALLER INITIALLY STOPPED US AND THEN MOTIONED FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD AGAIN. THE JETWAY DRIVER WAS SHOUTING AT THE MARSHALLER THAT THE INITIAL STOP POINT WASN'T FORWARD ENOUGH TO OPEN THE ACFT DOOR. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO HEAR EXACTLY WHAT WAS BEING SAID BECAUSE OF THE DRIVING RAIN AND ENG NOISE.

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.