Narrative:

We were late; with connections to international as well as domestic flts. After landing; cleared runway 1R at taxiway K2 and told to high speed of taxiway J and contact ramp tower on 129.55. Ramp tower told us to taxi to our assigned gate Y on taxiway D. We proceeded into the amp on taxiway D and just as we were behind gate X were told to hold 'right there.' I brought the aircraft to a stop; behind the B747 parked at X. Neither the first officer nor I recall seeing a beacon flashing on the B747 at X. We received ACARS message from ramp that Y was occupied as well as numerous radio communications between ramp tower and other aircraft pushing or ready to push; none idented from which gate. Then there was an instruction for a flight to hold push for the B767 'behind you' with my vague recollection of a discussion to 'pull forward.' we were concerned that there was no gate open for us to get our passenger off so they might make their flts; so my awareness of what was going on with aircraft parked at the gates adjacent to our position on taxiway D was diminished; and the aircraft at X was aft of my peripheral vision on the left on the dark ramp. We were then cleared to taxi forward and once past a pushed rj on taxiway C; to transition to C and hold for our gate. Before moving the aircraft; I looked right and left and then I saw the B747 had indeed been in the process of pushing and was then moving forward towards the gate parking position at X. Our left wing must have been very close under the tail of the B747 which had apparently been cleared to push. I observed one of the wing walkers under the fuselage of the B747 forward of the wing leading edge as they were being towed back. I think the ramp controller must have thought we were past X and could not see on the dark ramp our exact location. The B747 inquired 'what was the deal with the B767?' and as we taxied to taxiway C; I asked what happened and the ramp controllers aid 'it was my doing.' out gate opened up a few mins later and we taxied to the gate. A standards captain was sitting at a left overwing exit and he came to the cockpit and asked what happened because he saw our red wing navigation light reflecting on the under side of the B747's horizontal stabilizer and said it looked really close. It was dark on the ramp and the controller could not see where we had stopped and the push crew obviously did not see us a close one.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B767 FLT CREW HAS CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH A B747 WHILE TAXIING TO THE GATE AT IAD.

Narrative: WE WERE LATE; WITH CONNECTIONS TO INTL AS WELL AS DOMESTIC FLTS. AFTER LNDG; CLRED RWY 1R AT TXWY K2 AND TOLD TO HIGH SPD OF TXWY J AND CONTACT RAMP TWR ON 129.55. RAMP TWR TOLD US TO TAXI TO OUR ASSIGNED GATE Y ON TXWY D. WE PROCEEDED INTO THE AMP ON TXWY D AND JUST AS WE WERE BEHIND GATE X WERE TOLD TO HOLD 'RIGHT THERE.' I BROUGHT THE ACFT TO A STOP; BEHIND THE B747 PARKED AT X. NEITHER THE FO NOR I RECALL SEEING A BEACON FLASHING ON THE B747 AT X. WE RECEIVED ACARS MESSAGE FROM RAMP THAT Y WAS OCCUPIED AS WELL AS NUMEROUS RADIO COMS BTWN RAMP TWR AND OTHER ACFT PUSHING OR READY TO PUSH; NONE IDENTED FROM WHICH GATE. THEN THERE WAS AN INSTRUCTION FOR A FLT TO HOLD PUSH FOR THE B767 'BEHIND YOU' WITH MY VAGUE RECOLLECTION OF A DISCUSSION TO 'PULL FORWARD.' WE WERE CONCERNED THAT THERE WAS NO GATE OPEN FOR US TO GET OUR PAX OFF SO THEY MIGHT MAKE THEIR FLTS; SO MY AWARENESS OF WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH ACFT PARKED AT THE GATES ADJACENT TO OUR POS ON TXWY D WAS DIMINISHED; AND THE ACFT AT X WAS AFT OF MY PERIPHERAL VISION ON THE L ON THE DARK RAMP. WE WERE THEN CLRED TO TAXI FORWARD AND ONCE PAST A PUSHED RJ ON TXWY C; TO TRANSITION TO C AND HOLD FOR OUR GATE. BEFORE MOVING THE ACFT; I LOOKED R AND L AND THEN I SAW THE B747 HAD INDEED BEEN IN THE PROCESS OF PUSHING AND WAS THEN MOVING FORWARD TOWARDS THE GATE PARKING POS AT X. OUR L WING MUST HAVE BEEN VERY CLOSE UNDER THE TAIL OF THE B747 WHICH HAD APPARENTLY BEEN CLRED TO PUSH. I OBSERVED ONE OF THE WING WALKERS UNDER THE FUSELAGE OF THE B747 FORWARD OF THE WING LEADING EDGE AS THEY WERE BEING TOWED BACK. I THINK THE RAMP CTLR MUST HAVE THOUGHT WE WERE PAST X AND COULD NOT SEE ON THE DARK RAMP OUR EXACT LOCATION. THE B747 INQUIRED 'WHAT WAS THE DEAL WITH THE B767?' AND AS WE TAXIED TO TXWY C; I ASKED WHAT HAPPENED AND THE RAMP CTLRS AID 'IT WAS MY DOING.' OUT GATE OPENED UP A FEW MINS LATER AND WE TAXIED TO THE GATE. A STANDARDS CAPT WAS SITTING AT A L OVERWING EXIT AND HE CAME TO THE COCKPIT AND ASKED WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE HE SAW OUR RED WING NAV LIGHT REFLECTING ON THE UNDER SIDE OF THE B747'S HORIZ STABILIZER AND SAID IT LOOKED REALLY CLOSE. IT WAS DARK ON THE RAMP AND THE CTLR COULD NOT SEE WHERE WE HAD STOPPED AND THE PUSH CREW OBVIOUSLY DID NOT SEE US A CLOSE ONE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.