Narrative:

This statement is concerning the incident that occurred on aug/xa/01, while operating air carrier X flight xyz, atl to ewr. I was the first officer and PF. We were flying a B737-800. I made the approach and landing on runway 4R. It was a very busy approach and landing with a long string of aircraft at 3 mi separation. The WX was good with a little haze and the time was approximately XA30. The landing and rollout were uneventful. After the captain took control, he turned off the runway onto taxiway left at a safe speed and continued to slow to taxi speed. It was a well lit high-speed taxiway and approximately 3/4 distance down the runway. Captain had to stop just after leaving the runway because of an air carrier Y, B737 stopped at the intersection of txwys left and Y. That aircraft was waiting behind another aircraft to cross runway 4L at taxiway Y. Tower requested the air carrier Y aircraft ahead of us to move forward and for us to continue straight ahead at taxiway left to taxiway P and hold short of runway 4L on taxiway west. The air carrier Y aircraft moved forward a little and stopped again. Captain started moving forward because we felt we were not completely past the hold short line on taxiway left for runway 4R, and another aircraft was on very short final preparing to land. We were concerned that landing aircraft behind us could either clip us as they passed taxiway left or even more so, turning into taxiway left at a fast rate of speed and not being able to stop in time. Captain taxied very slowly as we were passing the air carrier Y, B737, and he was constantly looking out his side window. I asked if he thought we could make it past and he felt we could. He also asked me to make sure we stayed on the taxiway on the right side. I informed him we had room on the right and I believe we were moving toward the right when we contacted the air carrier Y, B737. We notified tower. There were no injuries and we followed normal post-incident procedures, including drug testing. Contributing factors: very busy airport, long duty day, not anticipating air carrier Y would move such a small distance, not anticipating wing growth when turning away from the air carrier Y aircraft, nighttime, and depth perception is hampered by it. Suggestions to prevent: don't stack aircraft on txwys before crossing another runway at night, don't taxi aircraft or expect aircraft to taxi so close to each other at night, get some way of allowing aircraft to talk to controllers during very busy times, talk about wing growth during turns in training. Supplemental information from acn 521941: I taxied very slowly while watching the wingtip with the intent of getting our tail out of the runway environment. The first officer stated there was more room on the right, I moved a little to the right in an effort to obtain more clearance. It appeared we had adequate clearance, but my left wingtip contacted the aircraft in front of me below the tail and aft of the end of the APU. There were no injuries and minor damage. Supplemental information from acn 521180: after landing on runway 4R, taxied clear of taxiway Y behind MD80 holding to cross runway 4L. Air carrier B737 landed behind us, exited at taxiway Y also to transition to taxiway left. Their left wingtip contacted our aft fuselage by APU exhaust while we were parked. Ny port authority/authorized inspected us and released us to the gate. No injuries were reported. Note: on telecon captain remembered that his aircraft's logo lights inoperative. This could have affected the air carrier X crew's view of our aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B738 CREW WHILE CLRING THE RWY AT EWR MADE WING CONTACT WITH ANOTHER ACFT'S TAIL.

Narrative: THIS STATEMENT IS CONCERNING THE INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED ON AUG/XA/01, WHILE OPERATING ACR X FLT XYZ, ATL TO EWR. I WAS THE FO AND PF. WE WERE FLYING A B737-800. I MADE THE APCH AND LNDG ON RWY 4R. IT WAS A VERY BUSY APCH AND LNDG WITH A LONG STRING OF ACFT AT 3 MI SEPARATION. THE WX WAS GOOD WITH A LITTLE HAZE AND THE TIME WAS APPROX XA30. THE LNDG AND ROLLOUT WERE UNEVENTFUL. AFTER THE CAPT TOOK CTL, HE TURNED OFF THE RWY ONTO TXWY L AT A SAFE SPD AND CONTINUED TO SLOW TO TAXI SPD. IT WAS A WELL LIT HIGH-SPD TXWY AND APPROX 3/4 DISTANCE DOWN THE RWY. CAPT HAD TO STOP JUST AFTER LEAVING THE RWY BECAUSE OF AN ACR Y, B737 STOPPED AT THE INTXN OF TXWYS L AND Y. THAT ACFT WAS WAITING BEHIND ANOTHER ACFT TO CROSS RWY 4L AT TXWY Y. TWR REQUESTED THE ACR Y ACFT AHEAD OF US TO MOVE FORWARD AND FOR US TO CONTINUE STRAIGHT AHEAD AT TXWY L TO TXWY P AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 4L ON TXWY W. THE ACR Y ACFT MOVED FORWARD A LITTLE AND STOPPED AGAIN. CAPT STARTED MOVING FORWARD BECAUSE WE FELT WE WERE NOT COMPLETELY PAST THE HOLD SHORT LINE ON TXWY L FOR RWY 4R, AND ANOTHER ACFT WAS ON VERY SHORT FINAL PREPARING TO LAND. WE WERE CONCERNED THAT LNDG ACFT BEHIND US COULD EITHER CLIP US AS THEY PASSED TXWY L OR EVEN MORE SO, TURNING INTO TXWY L AT A FAST RATE OF SPD AND NOT BEING ABLE TO STOP IN TIME. CAPT TAXIED VERY SLOWLY AS WE WERE PASSING THE ACR Y, B737, AND HE WAS CONSTANTLY LOOKING OUT HIS SIDE WINDOW. I ASKED IF HE THOUGHT WE COULD MAKE IT PAST AND HE FELT WE COULD. HE ALSO ASKED ME TO MAKE SURE WE STAYED ON THE TXWY ON THE R SIDE. I INFORMED HIM WE HAD ROOM ON THE R AND I BELIEVE WE WERE MOVING TOWARD THE R WHEN WE CONTACTED THE ACR Y, B737. WE NOTIFIED TWR. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND WE FOLLOWED NORMAL POST-INCIDENT PROCS, INCLUDING DRUG TESTING. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: VERY BUSY ARPT, LONG DUTY DAY, NOT ANTICIPATING ACR Y WOULD MOVE SUCH A SMALL DISTANCE, NOT ANTICIPATING WING GROWTH WHEN TURNING AWAY FROM THE ACR Y ACFT, NIGHTTIME, AND DEPTH PERCEPTION IS HAMPERED BY IT. SUGGESTIONS TO PREVENT: DON'T STACK ACFT ON TXWYS BEFORE XING ANOTHER RWY AT NIGHT, DON'T TAXI ACFT OR EXPECT ACFT TO TAXI SO CLOSE TO EACH OTHER AT NIGHT, GET SOME WAY OF ALLOWING ACFT TO TALK TO CTLRS DURING VERY BUSY TIMES, TALK ABOUT WING GROWTH DURING TURNS IN TRAINING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 521941: I TAXIED VERY SLOWLY WHILE WATCHING THE WINGTIP WITH THE INTENT OF GETTING OUR TAIL OUT OF THE RWY ENVIRONMENT. THE FO STATED THERE WAS MORE ROOM ON THE R, I MOVED A LITTLE TO THE R IN AN EFFORT TO OBTAIN MORE CLRNC. IT APPEARED WE HAD ADEQUATE CLRNC, BUT MY L WINGTIP CONTACTED THE ACFT IN FRONT OF ME BELOW THE TAIL AND AFT OF THE END OF THE APU. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND MINOR DAMAGE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 521180: AFTER LNDG ON RWY 4R, TAXIED CLR OF TXWY Y BEHIND MD80 HOLDING TO CROSS RWY 4L. ACR B737 LANDED BEHIND US, EXITED AT TXWY Y ALSO TO TRANSITION TO TXWY L. THEIR L WINGTIP CONTACTED OUR AFT FUSELAGE BY APU EXHAUST WHILE WE WERE PARKED. NY PORT AUTH INSPECTED US AND RELEASED US TO THE GATE. NO INJURIES WERE RPTED. NOTE: ON TELECON CAPT REMEMBERED THAT HIS ACFT'S LOGO LIGHTS INOP. THIS COULD HAVE AFFECTED THE ACR X CREW'S VIEW OF OUR ACFT.

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.