Narrative:

As I taxied the aircraft on the ramp from along the north line, I angled the aircraft to make a straight-in approach to the gate. As we approached the vicinity of the gate, a marshaller was on the centerline to guide us in using lighted wands. As we got to within about 20 ft of the service road, I expressed concern to the first officer that a truck parked, nose toward the cargo compartment of a crj parked on adjacent gate was encroaching on the area (to our right) to park at gate. I stopped the aircraft about 10 ft short of the service road to indicate to the marshaller that we were concerned about the truck being in our way. We waited less than 1 min when someone (M1 maintenance) moved the truck a few ft forward placing the front of the truck less than 2 ft from the other crj and giving better clearance to our arrival. A baggage tug also approached from our right on the service road and stopped behind the M1 truck waiting for us to continue. Our marshaller signaled for us to continue so I moved the aircraft forward until the cockpit was past the service road. I asked the first officer how the clearance looked and he responded with 'it looks pretty close.' I decided to stop to give our marshaller the opportunity to better assess if we had good clearance on the parked truck. The marshaller understood our concern by leaving the centerline and walking toward the truck and wingtip to get a better angle on the truck/wingtip clearance. He returned to the centerline and signaled for us to continue. I moved the aircraft several ft forward and asked the first officer how it looked now that we moved closer to the truck and he again expressed concern for our clearance on the truck. I stopped again to express our concern about the clearance to the marshaller. The marshaller, once again, left the centerline and walked toward the wingtip and began to signal us to continue and this time did so while nodding his head and moving his arms in a more exaggerated fashion to taxi forward. I commented to the first officer that the marshaller must be sure that the clearance is good and/or there is someone giving the marshaller (the tug driver on the service road or the M1 mechanic, maybe) an all clear signal, so I proceeded forward on the centerline of the parking line. With the wingtip now, in my opinion, very close to the truck, I asked the first officer what he thought and he responded, 'we are clear, maybe 6 ft.' immediately after making this statement, I felt a slight rumble throughout the airframe and the first officer exclaimed that it looked like we hit the truck. At that same instant, our marshaller gave us the emergency stop signal. After about 2 mins, the marshaller returned to the centerline and signaled for us to continue to the parking limit line. The right winglet leading edge had made contact with the corner of the M1 truck near the roof drip RAIL. A small dent was later noted in the winglet leading edge and, therefore, entered as a discrepancy in the maintenance log. After this incident, the first officer and I discussed what we could have done differently to have prevented this from happening, but we were at a loss. As a crew, we communicated very well together, took many steps to give the ground personnel ample opportunity to double- and triplechk that it was ok for us to park the aircraft and, after the third stop, we both felt comfortable that adequate clearance did exist. One thing that we noted is the flight deck crew cannot accurately participate in maintaining power wing clearance during ground operations. The first officer is a superb pilot and I trust his judgement without question, so when he said we had 6 ft of clearance, along with the marshaller giving us increasingly aggressive signals to continue, I felt comfortable to do so. We were both in disbelief when we made contact with the truck. The wings on the -700 are just too far back to see clearly and with any degree of accuracy. Supplemental information from acn 632933: we came to a third stop before the truck, at which time the marshaller continually motioned us forward more aggressively. It seems he was getting irritated with us.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GND CONFLICT, WINGTIP STRIKE, BTWN A CARGO TRUCK AND A CARJ 700 BEING MARSHALLED IN TO THE GATE AT ZZZ.

Narrative: AS I TAXIED THE ACFT ON THE RAMP FROM ALONG THE N LINE, I ANGLED THE ACFT TO MAKE A STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO THE GATE. AS WE APCHED THE VICINITY OF THE GATE, A MARSHALLER WAS ON THE CTRLINE TO GUIDE US IN USING LIGHTED WANDS. AS WE GOT TO WITHIN ABOUT 20 FT OF THE SVC ROAD, I EXPRESSED CONCERN TO THE FO THAT A TRUCK PARKED, NOSE TOWARD THE CARGO COMPARTMENT OF A CRJ PARKED ON ADJACENT GATE WAS ENCROACHING ON THE AREA (TO OUR R) TO PARK AT GATE. I STOPPED THE ACFT ABOUT 10 FT SHORT OF THE SVC ROAD TO INDICATE TO THE MARSHALLER THAT WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE TRUCK BEING IN OUR WAY. WE WAITED LESS THAN 1 MIN WHEN SOMEONE (M1 MAINT) MOVED THE TRUCK A FEW FT FORWARD PLACING THE FRONT OF THE TRUCK LESS THAN 2 FT FROM THE OTHER CRJ AND GIVING BETTER CLRNC TO OUR ARR. A BAGGAGE TUG ALSO APCHED FROM OUR R ON THE SVC ROAD AND STOPPED BEHIND THE M1 TRUCK WAITING FOR US TO CONTINUE. OUR MARSHALLER SIGNALED FOR US TO CONTINUE SO I MOVED THE ACFT FORWARD UNTIL THE COCKPIT WAS PAST THE SVC ROAD. I ASKED THE FO HOW THE CLRNC LOOKED AND HE RESPONDED WITH 'IT LOOKS PRETTY CLOSE.' I DECIDED TO STOP TO GIVE OUR MARSHALLER THE OPPORTUNITY TO BETTER ASSESS IF WE HAD GOOD CLRNC ON THE PARKED TRUCK. THE MARSHALLER UNDERSTOOD OUR CONCERN BY LEAVING THE CTRLINE AND WALKING TOWARD THE TRUCK AND WINGTIP TO GET A BETTER ANGLE ON THE TRUCK/WINGTIP CLRNC. HE RETURNED TO THE CTRLINE AND SIGNALED FOR US TO CONTINUE. I MOVED THE ACFT SEVERAL FT FORWARD AND ASKED THE FO HOW IT LOOKED NOW THAT WE MOVED CLOSER TO THE TRUCK AND HE AGAIN EXPRESSED CONCERN FOR OUR CLRNC ON THE TRUCK. I STOPPED AGAIN TO EXPRESS OUR CONCERN ABOUT THE CLRNC TO THE MARSHALLER. THE MARSHALLER, ONCE AGAIN, LEFT THE CTRLINE AND WALKED TOWARD THE WINGTIP AND BEGAN TO SIGNAL US TO CONTINUE AND THIS TIME DID SO WHILE NODDING HIS HEAD AND MOVING HIS ARMS IN A MORE EXAGGERATED FASHION TO TAXI FORWARD. I COMMENTED TO THE FO THAT THE MARSHALLER MUST BE SURE THAT THE CLRNC IS GOOD AND/OR THERE IS SOMEONE GIVING THE MARSHALLER (THE TUG DRIVER ON THE SVC ROAD OR THE M1 MECH, MAYBE) AN ALL CLR SIGNAL, SO I PROCEEDED FORWARD ON THE CTRLINE OF THE PARKING LINE. WITH THE WINGTIP NOW, IN MY OPINION, VERY CLOSE TO THE TRUCK, I ASKED THE FO WHAT HE THOUGHT AND HE RESPONDED, 'WE ARE CLR, MAYBE 6 FT.' IMMEDIATELY AFTER MAKING THIS STATEMENT, I FELT A SLIGHT RUMBLE THROUGHOUT THE AIRFRAME AND THE FO EXCLAIMED THAT IT LOOKED LIKE WE HIT THE TRUCK. AT THAT SAME INSTANT, OUR MARSHALLER GAVE US THE EMER STOP SIGNAL. AFTER ABOUT 2 MINS, THE MARSHALLER RETURNED TO THE CTRLINE AND SIGNALED FOR US TO CONTINUE TO THE PARKING LIMIT LINE. THE R WINGLET LEADING EDGE HAD MADE CONTACT WITH THE CORNER OF THE M1 TRUCK NEAR THE ROOF DRIP RAIL. A SMALL DENT WAS LATER NOTED IN THE WINGLET LEADING EDGE AND, THEREFORE, ENTERED AS A DISCREPANCY IN THE MAINT LOG. AFTER THIS INCIDENT, THE FO AND I DISCUSSED WHAT WE COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY TO HAVE PREVENTED THIS FROM HAPPENING, BUT WE WERE AT A LOSS. AS A CREW, WE COMMUNICATED VERY WELL TOGETHER, TOOK MANY STEPS TO GIVE THE GND PERSONNEL AMPLE OPPORTUNITY TO DOUBLE- AND TRIPLECHK THAT IT WAS OK FOR US TO PARK THE ACFT AND, AFTER THE THIRD STOP, WE BOTH FELT COMFORTABLE THAT ADEQUATE CLRNC DID EXIST. ONE THING THAT WE NOTED IS THE FLT DECK CREW CANNOT ACCURATELY PARTICIPATE IN MAINTAINING PWR WING CLRNC DURING GND OPS. THE FO IS A SUPERB PLT AND I TRUST HIS JUDGEMENT WITHOUT QUESTION, SO WHEN HE SAID WE HAD 6 FT OF CLRNC, ALONG WITH THE MARSHALLER GIVING US INCREASINGLY AGGRESSIVE SIGNALS TO CONTINUE, I FELT COMFORTABLE TO DO SO. WE WERE BOTH IN DISBELIEF WHEN WE MADE CONTACT WITH THE TRUCK. THE WINGS ON THE -700 ARE JUST TOO FAR BACK TO SEE CLRLY AND WITH ANY DEGREE OF ACCURACY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 632933: WE CAME TO A THIRD STOP BEFORE THE TRUCK, AT WHICH TIME THE MARSHALLER CONTINUALLY MOTIONED US FORWARD MORE AGGRESSIVELY. IT SEEMS HE WAS GETTING IRRITATED WITH US.

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.