Narrative:

Landed runway 31; exited south; contacted ground control and was instructed to cross runway 4/22 on taxiway P. Make a left turn on taxiway aa and taxi to the 5 towers making a right turn off taxiway aa onto taxiway east. The 5 towers is a collection of antennas surrounded by a chain link fence where GA aircraft are parked at lga. It is on the west side of the field. All GA aircraft are handled and parked by the FBO. The fence surrounding the 5 towers is rectangular in shape and there are dark colored 'caution' banners attached to each corner supported by rigid plastic rods at the top and bottom of each. We followed the van to the 5 towers off of taxiway east; heading south so that the left wing of the aircraft would follow the west side of the 5 towers fence expecting a right turn to our final parking position with the nose facing west bound and the tail of the aircraft facing the west fence line of the five towers. As the aircraft approached the 5 towers we were slowed to approximately a slow walk and had two FBO employees directing our movement; a wingwalker off our left wing and another ahead and to the right who would direct our final turn to park. Both individuals had orange wands. The wing walker off the left wing marshaled us forward using his wands until the left wing of the aircraft was approximately 10 ft along the west perimeter of the 5 towers fence. At this time the other marshaler ran from his position at the front and right of the aircraft to the left wing; yelled something to the wing walker off the left wing and both individuals crossed their wands. We stopped the aircraft at this point and shut down. The forward marshaler must of thought the wing walker off our left had the aircraft too close to the fence and upon inspection; we determined we were approximately 10 to 12 inches wingtip to fence. Further examination revealed that we taxied through the 'caution' banner that extended from the northwest corner of the 5 towers and that the top support rod had scratched our winglet. This occurred while we were getting forward signals from the left side wing walker. I am used to being parked in tight situations at lga and rely perhaps too much on the marshalers. The banners on the 5 towers should be taken down as they protrude and are not visible at night. A no movement zone should be painted around the 5 towers fence line at some predetermined distance.callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the area on the west ramp area is utilized to accommodate overnight aircraft. The '5 towers' area which contains the towers is surrounded by a fence; and each corner of the fence is marked with a semi-rigid caution banner to identify the area. There are no markings surrounding the area. Apparently the wing walker believed sufficient clearance was maintained during the parking maneuver; but he failed to allow for the banner; which scraped the aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN LTT WAS BEING MARSHALED INTO OVERNIGHT PARKING AREA AND A CAUTION BANNER MOUNTED ON A FENCE BANNER CONTACTED ACFT WINGLET.

Narrative: LANDED RWY 31; EXITED SOUTH; CONTACTED GND CTL AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO CROSS RWY 4/22 ON TXWY P. MAKE A LEFT TURN ON TXWY AA AND TAXI TO THE 5 TWRS MAKING A RIGHT TURN OFF TXWY AA ONTO TXWY E. THE 5 TWRS IS A COLLECTION OF ANTENNAS SURROUNDED BY A CHAIN LINK FENCE WHERE GA ACFT ARE PARKED AT LGA. IT IS ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE FIELD. ALL GA ACFT ARE HANDLED AND PARKED BY THE FBO. THE FENCE SURROUNDING THE 5 TWRS IS RECTANGULAR IN SHAPE AND THERE ARE DARK COLORED 'CAUTION' BANNERS ATTACHED TO EACH CORNER SUPPORTED BY RIGID PLASTIC RODS AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF EACH. WE FOLLOWED THE VAN TO THE 5 TWRS OFF OF TXWY E; HEADING SOUTH SO THAT THE LEFT WING OF THE ACFT WOULD FOLLOW THE WEST SIDE OF THE 5 TWRS FENCE EXPECTING A RIGHT TURN TO OUR FINAL PARKING POSITION WITH THE NOSE FACING WEST BOUND AND THE TAIL OF THE ACFT FACING THE WEST FENCE LINE OF THE FIVE TWRS. AS THE ACFT APCHED THE 5 TWRS WE WERE SLOWED TO APPROX A SLOW WALK AND HAD TWO FBO EMPLOYEES DIRECTING OUR MOVEMENT; A WINGWALKER OFF OUR LEFT WING AND ANOTHER AHEAD AND TO THE RIGHT WHO WOULD DIRECT OUR FINAL TURN TO PARK. BOTH INDIVIDUALS HAD ORANGE WANDS. THE WING WALKER OFF THE LEFT WING MARSHALED US FORWARD USING HIS WANDS UNTIL THE LEFT WING OF THE ACFT WAS APPROX 10 FT ALONG THE WEST PERIMETER OF THE 5 TWRS FENCE. AT THIS TIME THE OTHER MARSHALER RAN FROM HIS POSITION AT THE FRONT AND RIGHT OF THE ACFT TO THE LEFT WING; YELLED SOMETHING TO THE WING WALKER OFF THE LEFT WING AND BOTH INDIVIDUALS CROSSED THEIR WANDS. WE STOPPED THE ACFT AT THIS POINT AND SHUT DOWN. THE FORWARD MARSHALER MUST OF THOUGHT THE WING WALKER OFF OUR LEFT HAD THE ACFT TOO CLOSE TO THE FENCE AND UPON INSPECTION; WE DETERMINED WE WERE APPROX 10 TO 12 INCHES WINGTIP TO FENCE. FURTHER EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT WE TAXIED THROUGH THE 'CAUTION' BANNER THAT EXTENDED FROM THE NW CORNER OF THE 5 TWRS AND THAT THE TOP SUPPORT ROD HAD SCRATCHED OUR WINGLET. THIS OCCURRED WHILE WE WERE GETTING FORWARD SIGNALS FROM THE LEFT SIDE WING WALKER. I AM USED TO BEING PARKED IN TIGHT SITUATIONS AT LGA AND RELY PERHAPS TOO MUCH ON THE MARSHALERS. THE BANNERS ON THE 5 TWRS SHOULD BE TAKEN DOWN AS THEY PROTRUDE AND ARE NOT VISIBLE AT NIGHT. A NO MOVEMENT ZONE SHOULD BE PAINTED AROUND THE 5 TWRS FENCE LINE AT SOME PREDETERMINED DISTANCE.CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE REPORTER STATED THAT THE AREA ON THE WEST RAMP AREA IS UTILIZED TO ACCOMMODATE OVERNIGHT ACFT. THE '5 TOWERS' AREA WHICH CONTAINS THE TOWERS IS SURROUNDED BY A FENCE; AND EACH CORNER OF THE FENCE IS MARKED WITH A SEMI-RIGID CAUTION BANNER TO IDENTIFY THE AREA. THERE ARE NO MARKINGS SURROUNDING THE AREA. APPARENTLY THE WING WALKER BELIEVED SUFFICIENT CLEARANCE WAS MAINTAINED DURING THE PARKING MANEUVER; BUT HE FAILED TO ALLOW FOR THE BANNER; WHICH SCRAPED THE ACFT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.