Narrative:

We were taxiing in to gate X at lax. As we rounded the corner into the alley, I was initially distraction trying to find gate X at terminal X. This is complicated by the numbers on the terminal itself -- well to the left of the actual jetway. I shut down the #2 engine, and was further distraction by the lack of a marshaller and a lavatory truck, which was parked on the left side of the safety zone. I gave a quick look at the right side of the safety zone, and it appeared clear prior to being obscured by the right wing as I lined up the aircraft perpendicular to the J line. I turned onto the jetway run in line and virtually came to a complete stop, as we still had no marshaller. My first officer and I again were distraction to the left of the aircraft by a group of about 6 individuals just standing around at gate X immediately to the left of our gate. Just then, as I had almost come to a complete stop, a female ramper stepped out from the left of the jetway and began marshalling us in. I added power to the #1 and followed her directions. She hesitated just slightly and looked a little nervous, so I wondered to myself if she was qualified to marshal, but she seemed sure of her marshalling commands. My first officer commented at that time that it 'looked a little tight' and I disregarded his comment thinking that the alleyway in lax is always congested. I had to add a little more power just prior to her 'stop' command. Almost simultaneously with that, my first officer commented that a ramper on the right side of the aircraft was signaling for us to stop. We then saw a group of people gathered at the right side of the aircraft, and a ramp supervisor came to the first officer's side. After opening the window, he informed us that we had made contact with a baggage loaded. We informed him that we did have a marshaller and went downstairs to inspect the damage. There was a group of dents on the lower left side of the nose cowl -- approximately 1/2 inch deep and 6-8 inches in length. There was also a puncture on the outboard fan cowl. I immediately called dispatch, maintenance control and the chief pilot on duty. Both my first officer and I failed to adequately clear the safety zone on the right side of the aircraft and missed the baggage loader protruding into the safety zone on the right. We had numerous distrs to the left side of the aircraft, which should have been our first warning flag. In hindsight, I should have stopped the aircraft on the j-line until an adequate number of personnel wre present to continue marshalling operations to the gate. I also feel strongly about the level of ramp congestion in the alleys at lax. This has been an extremely congested and dangerous place to taxi for as long as I have worked here. There is absolutely no valid reason to have anything parked in an aircraft safety zone when an aircraft is not parked at the gate. Ramp supervisors should be training personnel to high standards and enforcing them as long as this congested ramp area continues to exist. Furthermore, the lack of attention and motivation of ramp personnel at lax continues to be disappointing. Supplemental information from acn 532023: both of us were looking outside and were very alert and attentive to the parking of the aircraft. We were distraction as the circumstances detailed above illustrate which caused our attention to focus ahead and toward the l-hand side of the aircraft causing us to miss seeing the belt loader on the r-hand side of the aircraft. The distrs caused my attention to focus on the 10-12 O'clock position as opposed to scanning the entire area of the safety zone. Had I performed my normal scan, I would have possibly seen the belt loader and had the captain stop the aircraft. In retrospect, I realize I was far more distraction than I realized at that time. In the future, I will try not to allow myself to focus on any one specific area. In addition, I think that procedures and training for ground personnel should be looked at. As a minimum, I feel that aircraft being pushed back or marshalled in at lax should be under a minimum of a 3-PERSON watch due to all of the ramp congestion.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-300 CREW, WHILE APCHING JETWAY AT LAX, MADE CONTACT WITH A BELT LOADER DAMAGING #2 ENG.

Narrative: WE WERE TAXIING IN TO GATE X AT LAX. AS WE ROUNDED THE CORNER INTO THE ALLEY, I WAS INITIALLY DISTR TRYING TO FIND GATE X AT TERMINAL X. THIS IS COMPLICATED BY THE NUMBERS ON THE TERMINAL ITSELF -- WELL TO THE L OF THE ACTUAL JETWAY. I SHUT DOWN THE #2 ENG, AND WAS FURTHER DISTR BY THE LACK OF A MARSHALLER AND A LAVATORY TRUCK, WHICH WAS PARKED ON THE L SIDE OF THE SAFETY ZONE. I GAVE A QUICK LOOK AT THE R SIDE OF THE SAFETY ZONE, AND IT APPEARED CLR PRIOR TO BEING OBSCURED BY THE R WING AS I LINED UP THE ACFT PERPENDICULAR TO THE J LINE. I TURNED ONTO THE JETWAY RUN IN LINE AND VIRTUALLY CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, AS WE STILL HAD NO MARSHALLER. MY FO AND I AGAIN WERE DISTR TO THE L OF THE ACFT BY A GROUP OF ABOUT 6 INDIVIDUALS JUST STANDING AROUND AT GATE X IMMEDIATELY TO THE L OF OUR GATE. JUST THEN, AS I HAD ALMOST COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, A FEMALE RAMPER STEPPED OUT FROM THE L OF THE JETWAY AND BEGAN MARSHALLING US IN. I ADDED PWR TO THE #1 AND FOLLOWED HER DIRECTIONS. SHE HESITATED JUST SLIGHTLY AND LOOKED A LITTLE NERVOUS, SO I WONDERED TO MYSELF IF SHE WAS QUALIFIED TO MARSHAL, BUT SHE SEEMED SURE OF HER MARSHALLING COMMANDS. MY FO COMMENTED AT THAT TIME THAT IT 'LOOKED A LITTLE TIGHT' AND I DISREGARDED HIS COMMENT THINKING THAT THE ALLEYWAY IN LAX IS ALWAYS CONGESTED. I HAD TO ADD A LITTLE MORE PWR JUST PRIOR TO HER 'STOP' COMMAND. ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THAT, MY FO COMMENTED THAT A RAMPER ON THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT WAS SIGNALING FOR US TO STOP. WE THEN SAW A GROUP OF PEOPLE GATHERED AT THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT, AND A RAMP SUPVR CAME TO THE FO'S SIDE. AFTER OPENING THE WINDOW, HE INFORMED US THAT WE HAD MADE CONTACT WITH A BAGGAGE LOADED. WE INFORMED HIM THAT WE DID HAVE A MARSHALLER AND WENT DOWNSTAIRS TO INSPECT THE DAMAGE. THERE WAS A GROUP OF DENTS ON THE LOWER L SIDE OF THE NOSE COWL -- APPROX 1/2 INCH DEEP AND 6-8 INCHES IN LENGTH. THERE WAS ALSO A PUNCTURE ON THE OUTBOARD FAN COWL. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED DISPATCH, MAINT CTL AND THE CHIEF PLT ON DUTY. BOTH MY FO AND I FAILED TO ADEQUATELY CLR THE SAFETY ZONE ON THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT AND MISSED THE BAGGAGE LOADER PROTRUDING INTO THE SAFETY ZONE ON THE R. WE HAD NUMEROUS DISTRS TO THE L SIDE OF THE ACFT, WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN OUR FIRST WARNING FLAG. IN HINDSIGHT, I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED THE ACFT ON THE J-LINE UNTIL AN ADEQUATE NUMBER OF PERSONNEL WRE PRESENT TO CONTINUE MARSHALLING OPS TO THE GATE. I ALSO FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT THE LEVEL OF RAMP CONGESTION IN THE ALLEYS AT LAX. THIS HAS BEEN AN EXTREMELY CONGESTED AND DANGEROUS PLACE TO TAXI FOR AS LONG AS I HAVE WORKED HERE. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO VALID REASON TO HAVE ANYTHING PARKED IN AN ACFT SAFETY ZONE WHEN AN ACFT IS NOT PARKED AT THE GATE. RAMP SUPVRS SHOULD BE TRAINING PERSONNEL TO HIGH STANDARDS AND ENFORCING THEM AS LONG AS THIS CONGESTED RAMP AREA CONTINUES TO EXIST. FURTHERMORE, THE LACK OF ATTN AND MOTIVATION OF RAMP PERSONNEL AT LAX CONTINUES TO BE DISAPPOINTING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 532023: BOTH OF US WERE LOOKING OUTSIDE AND WERE VERY ALERT AND ATTENTIVE TO THE PARKING OF THE ACFT. WE WERE DISTR AS THE CIRCUMSTANCES DETAILED ABOVE ILLUSTRATE WHICH CAUSED OUR ATTN TO FOCUS AHEAD AND TOWARD THE L-HAND SIDE OF THE ACFT CAUSING US TO MISS SEEING THE BELT LOADER ON THE R-HAND SIDE OF THE ACFT. THE DISTRS CAUSED MY ATTN TO FOCUS ON THE 10-12 O'CLOCK POS AS OPPOSED TO SCANNING THE ENTIRE AREA OF THE SAFETY ZONE. HAD I PERFORMED MY NORMAL SCAN, I WOULD HAVE POSSIBLY SEEN THE BELT LOADER AND HAD THE CAPT STOP THE ACFT. IN RETROSPECT, I REALIZE I WAS FAR MORE DISTR THAN I REALIZED AT THAT TIME. IN THE FUTURE, I WILL TRY NOT TO ALLOW MYSELF TO FOCUS ON ANY ONE SPECIFIC AREA. IN ADDITION, I THINK THAT PROCS AND TRAINING FOR GND PERSONNEL SHOULD BE LOOKED AT. AS A MINIMUM, I FEEL THAT ACFT BEING PUSHED BACK OR MARSHALLED IN AT LAX SHOULD BE UNDER A MINIMUM OF A 3-PERSON WATCH DUE TO ALL OF THE RAMP CONGESTION.

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.