Narrative:

Captain and I were waiting to depart. About 20 mins prior to departure, captain was seated in the cockpit and I was standing in the hall between the forward galley and the cockpit when we felt the aircraft shift like the jetway had been driven gently into the side of the aircraft. This was not the case however, as we had been parked at the gate for some time. Captain was seated so I said I would go outside to take a look. Upon reaching the rear of the aircraft I found that the provisioning truck had been pulled away from the plane about a foot and a provisioning agent and a ramp agent were looking at the plane along with the ramp supervisor. The provisioning agent said the brakes failed and he therefore was unable to stop before striking the plane. Evidently, the rubber snubber on the forward edge of the provisioning truck platform wedged under the fuselage just below the aft service door, and when the truck was backed away from the plane, we felt the plane shift. There was no apparent damage if any, there were only some minor scratches, in my opinion. Maintenance was already at the plane because I had called them earlier to have the windshield cleaned. The mechanic arrived after the plane shifted, but before I had checked out the problem. While the mechanic was cleaning the windows, I was looking at the rear service door. When I got back I told the captain what I saw and he asked another mechanic who had arrived on the scene to check the aft portion of the aircraft. The mechanic did in fact check the aircraft for damage and said it was 'ok.' the captain then asked the mechanic if he should write it up in the logbook and the mechanic replied that 'it was ok and that it didn't need a 'write-up.' so we were ready to go 10 mins prior to departure time. However, another sjc flight had canceled, the operations agents said we would be accommodating those passenger from the canceled flight. The captain said that would be fine and we therefore understood the delay. We departed 10 mins late, but arrived in sjc on time. Although we understood the delay to be for the benefit of the passenger from the canceled flight, the operations agent indicated on the dispatch report that the delay was because the truck ran into the aircraft. The plane was ready to go 'on time' until the operations agent said that we were holding for the canceled flight. Because the operations agent recorded the delay as a maintenance delay and not a passenger delay, the captain and I felt there should have been a maintenance write-up in the aircraft logbook, and not relied on a verbal 'ok,' from the mechanic in lax. Plus as a matter of records and tracking, I can see where we should have documented the incident in the aircraft logbook. Next time this occurs I will take special measures to make sure it is documented.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-300. ACFT WAS BUMPED BY A PROVISIONING TRUCK HARD ENOUGH TO BE FELT IN THE COCKPIT. THE FO AND MECHS INSPECTED THE ACFT FOR DAMAGE, BUT THE CAPT DID NOT RECORD THE INCIDENT IN THE ACFT MAINT LOG.

Narrative: CAPT AND I WERE WAITING TO DEPART. ABOUT 20 MINS PRIOR TO DEP, CAPT WAS SEATED IN THE COCKPIT AND I WAS STANDING IN THE HALL BTWN THE FORWARD GALLEY AND THE COCKPIT WHEN WE FELT THE ACFT SHIFT LIKE THE JETWAY HAD BEEN DRIVEN GENTLY INTO THE SIDE OF THE ACFT. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE HOWEVER, AS WE HAD BEEN PARKED AT THE GATE FOR SOME TIME. CAPT WAS SEATED SO I SAID I WOULD GO OUTSIDE TO TAKE A LOOK. UPON REACHING THE REAR OF THE ACFT I FOUND THAT THE PROVISIONING TRUCK HAD BEEN PULLED AWAY FROM THE PLANE ABOUT A FOOT AND A PROVISIONING AGENT AND A RAMP AGENT WERE LOOKING AT THE PLANE ALONG WITH THE RAMP SUPVR. THE PROVISIONING AGENT SAID THE BRAKES FAILED AND HE THEREFORE WAS UNABLE TO STOP BEFORE STRIKING THE PLANE. EVIDENTLY, THE RUBBER SNUBBER ON THE FORWARD EDGE OF THE PROVISIONING TRUCK PLATFORM WEDGED UNDER THE FUSELAGE JUST BELOW THE AFT SVC DOOR, AND WHEN THE TRUCK WAS BACKED AWAY FROM THE PLANE, WE FELT THE PLANE SHIFT. THERE WAS NO APPARENT DAMAGE IF ANY, THERE WERE ONLY SOME MINOR SCRATCHES, IN MY OPINION. MAINT WAS ALREADY AT THE PLANE BECAUSE I HAD CALLED THEM EARLIER TO HAVE THE WINDSHIELD CLEANED. THE MECH ARRIVED AFTER THE PLANE SHIFTED, BUT BEFORE I HAD CHKED OUT THE PROB. WHILE THE MECH WAS CLEANING THE WINDOWS, I WAS LOOKING AT THE REAR SVC DOOR. WHEN I GOT BACK I TOLD THE CAPT WHAT I SAW AND HE ASKED ANOTHER MECH WHO HAD ARRIVED ON THE SCENE TO CHK THE AFT PORTION OF THE ACFT. THE MECH DID IN FACT CHK THE ACFT FOR DAMAGE AND SAID IT WAS 'OK.' THE CAPT THEN ASKED THE MECH IF HE SHOULD WRITE IT UP IN THE LOGBOOK AND THE MECH REPLIED THAT 'IT WAS OK AND THAT IT DIDN'T NEED A 'WRITE-UP.' SO WE WERE READY TO GO 10 MINS PRIOR TO DEP TIME. HOWEVER, ANOTHER SJC FLT HAD CANCELED, THE OPS AGENTS SAID WE WOULD BE ACCOMMODATING THOSE PAX FROM THE CANCELED FLT. THE CAPT SAID THAT WOULD BE FINE AND WE THEREFORE UNDERSTOOD THE DELAY. WE DEPARTED 10 MINS LATE, BUT ARRIVED IN SJC ON TIME. ALTHOUGH WE UNDERSTOOD THE DELAY TO BE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PAX FROM THE CANCELED FLT, THE OPS AGENT INDICATED ON THE DISPATCH RPT THAT THE DELAY WAS BECAUSE THE TRUCK RAN INTO THE ACFT. THE PLANE WAS READY TO GO 'ON TIME' UNTIL THE OPS AGENT SAID THAT WE WERE HOLDING FOR THE CANCELED FLT. BECAUSE THE OPS AGENT RECORDED THE DELAY AS A MAINT DELAY AND NOT A PAX DELAY, THE CAPT AND I FELT THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A MAINT WRITE-UP IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK, AND NOT RELIED ON A VERBAL 'OK,' FROM THE MECH IN LAX. PLUS AS A MATTER OF RECORDS AND TRACKING, I CAN SEE WHERE WE SHOULD HAVE DOCUMENTED THE INCIDENT IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK. NEXT TIME THIS OCCURS I WILL TAKE SPECIAL MEASURES TO MAKE SURE IT IS DOCUMENTED.

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.