Narrative:

We positioned the aircraft on taxiway a and held there for 40 mins for our gate to open. The gate cleared and we taxied in to the gate area. The gate we were to occupy was the closest to the jetway on the l-hand side facing the terminal. As I began the turn in to the gate, I noticed there were 2 wing walkers positioned properly and a marshaller. The marshaller was looking at the ground and not giving the proper signal to taxi. I stopped, set the brake and advised the first officer that we would not proceed in until the marshaller looked up and waved us in. Shortly thereafter, the marshaller realized I would not pull in so he began lazily marshaling us forward. About 2 ft from the stopping point, the aircraft made contact with the bag cart. The marshaller made the stop signal after the bag cart and had been hit. I requested that the ramp personnel involved remain in the area so that I could get their names. They all disappeared from the area with the exception of the marshaller who began to throw cones around the ramp in a fit of anger. I called operations and made a second request to get their names, and was advised a safety team was being put together to handle the issue. Operations assured me that they would provide me with the necessary information. I immediately advised my dispatcher of the problem and spoke with maintenance control. The aircraft was written up for the damage and maintenance arrived shortly thereafter. When I phoned the chief pilot's office, they advised me to stay close to the aircraft and he would call with instructions. The phone call was followed up about 30 mins later, and I was advised to continue with my flight segments for the day. The station manager didn't give me the names of the ramp personnel involved. He said they would be in his report. After the incident occurred, I pulled my crew together to discuss the event. I had not remembered even seeing a bag cart on the left side of the aircraft. The flight attendant advised that when she opened the door, right after the aircraft hit the bag cart, she saw an individual climbing off the tug. She thought that the tug had just pulled up and may have been moving in the area at the time the incident occurred. I have no proof of this, other than the flight attendant report, and that I did not see a bag cart while pulling in to the gate area. Supplemental information from acn 632803: I visually inspected the wingtip and saw obvious collision damage. Later, the flight attendant told me and the captain that she saw someone get off the tug attached to the bag cart that we hit. I then went out to look again and noticed that the damage on the bag cart was facing the wrong direction to coincide with us hitting it. So bag cart had been moved or moving when we hit it. The marshaller involved never told us to stop prior to impact. The marshaller also never seemed fully interested in us parking. He was acting as if he was preoccupied.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A TAXIING CRJ100 COLLIDED WITH A TOWED BAGGAGE CART IN THE GATE AREA WHILE BEING MARSHALED AND MONITORED BY WING WALKERS.

Narrative: WE POSITIONED THE ACFT ON TXWY A AND HELD THERE FOR 40 MINS FOR OUR GATE TO OPEN. THE GATE CLRED AND WE TAXIED IN TO THE GATE AREA. THE GATE WE WERE TO OCCUPY WAS THE CLOSEST TO THE JETWAY ON THE L-HAND SIDE FACING THE TERMINAL. AS I BEGAN THE TURN IN TO THE GATE, I NOTICED THERE WERE 2 WING WALKERS POSITIONED PROPERLY AND A MARSHALLER. THE MARSHALLER WAS LOOKING AT THE GND AND NOT GIVING THE PROPER SIGNAL TO TAXI. I STOPPED, SET THE BRAKE AND ADVISED THE FO THAT WE WOULD NOT PROCEED IN UNTIL THE MARSHALLER LOOKED UP AND WAVED US IN. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE MARSHALLER REALIZED I WOULD NOT PULL IN SO HE BEGAN LAZILY MARSHALING US FORWARD. ABOUT 2 FT FROM THE STOPPING POINT, THE ACFT MADE CONTACT WITH THE BAG CART. THE MARSHALLER MADE THE STOP SIGNAL AFTER THE BAG CART AND HAD BEEN HIT. I REQUESTED THAT THE RAMP PERSONNEL INVOLVED REMAIN IN THE AREA SO THAT I COULD GET THEIR NAMES. THEY ALL DISAPPEARED FROM THE AREA WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE MARSHALLER WHO BEGAN TO THROW CONES AROUND THE RAMP IN A FIT OF ANGER. I CALLED OPS AND MADE A SECOND REQUEST TO GET THEIR NAMES, AND WAS ADVISED A SAFETY TEAM WAS BEING PUT TOGETHER TO HANDLE THE ISSUE. OPS ASSURED ME THAT THEY WOULD PROVIDE ME WITH THE NECESSARY INFO. I IMMEDIATELY ADVISED MY DISPATCHER OF THE PROB AND SPOKE WITH MAINT CTL. THE ACFT WAS WRITTEN UP FOR THE DAMAGE AND MAINT ARRIVED SHORTLY THEREAFTER. WHEN I PHONED THE CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE, THEY ADVISED ME TO STAY CLOSE TO THE ACFT AND HE WOULD CALL WITH INSTRUCTIONS. THE PHONE CALL WAS FOLLOWED UP ABOUT 30 MINS LATER, AND I WAS ADVISED TO CONTINUE WITH MY FLT SEGMENTS FOR THE DAY. THE STATION MGR DIDN'T GIVE ME THE NAMES OF THE RAMP PERSONNEL INVOLVED. HE SAID THEY WOULD BE IN HIS RPT. AFTER THE INCIDENT OCCURRED, I PULLED MY CREW TOGETHER TO DISCUSS THE EVENT. I HAD NOT REMEMBERED EVEN SEEING A BAG CART ON THE L SIDE OF THE ACFT. THE FLT ATTENDANT ADVISED THAT WHEN SHE OPENED THE DOOR, RIGHT AFTER THE ACFT HIT THE BAG CART, SHE SAW AN INDIVIDUAL CLBING OFF THE TUG. SHE THOUGHT THAT THE TUG HAD JUST PULLED UP AND MAY HAVE BEEN MOVING IN THE AREA AT THE TIME THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. I HAVE NO PROOF OF THIS, OTHER THAN THE FLT ATTENDANT RPT, AND THAT I DID NOT SEE A BAG CART WHILE PULLING IN TO THE GATE AREA. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 632803: I VISUALLY INSPECTED THE WINGTIP AND SAW OBVIOUS COLLISION DAMAGE. LATER, THE FLT ATTENDANT TOLD ME AND THE CAPT THAT SHE SAW SOMEONE GET OFF THE TUG ATTACHED TO THE BAG CART THAT WE HIT. I THEN WENT OUT TO LOOK AGAIN AND NOTICED THAT THE DAMAGE ON THE BAG CART WAS FACING THE WRONG DIRECTION TO COINCIDE WITH US HITTING IT. SO BAG CART HAD BEEN MOVED OR MOVING WHEN WE HIT IT. THE MARSHALLER INVOLVED NEVER TOLD US TO STOP PRIOR TO IMPACT. THE MARSHALLER ALSO NEVER SEEMED FULLY INTERESTED IN US PARKING. HE WAS ACTING AS IF HE WAS PREOCCUPIED.

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.