Narrative:

The aircraft, medium large transport X, was being taxied in to gate at sna with a medium large transport Y and fuel truck on the gate to the left, and ground equipment on the right. While turning on to the gate taxi line, the wing walker, while in view, was giving continuous thumbs up. Once he was out of view of the cockpit, full attention was given to the guide man who gave continuous come ahead signals until the aircraft came to an abrupt stop with the nose swinging to the left. The left wing had impacted the windshield of the fuel truck whose cabin attendant extended approximately 3' beyond the wing. The aircraft was shut down and positioned to the gate with a tug. There were no injuries to passenger, crew or ground personnel. Damage was confined to the cabin attendant of the fuel truck and the outer 6' of the left wing tip, which was replaced overnight. At no time during the taxi procedure was a slow down or stop signal given by the guide man. Come ahead was still being given on impact. Contributing factors: the taxi crew prior to our arrival was unloading the adjacent medium large transport Y and was directed on very short notice to handle the taxi in of our flight. Operations at both gates were extremely hurried due to the impending closure of sna at XA20L (runway lighting OTS). The ground crew probably had no time to size up the situation prior to our arrival. There are no foul lines on the ramp at gates, which would assist ground crews in judging adequate wing tip sep or by which veh drivers could determine unsafe areas. This is compounded by the fact that the entire air carrier ramp is very congested with close spacing between aircraft. In my opinion, 2 areas need to be emphasized when training ground crews in taxi procedures: to get the aircraft properly lined up at the gate, the nose must travel a considerable distance past the line before the aircraft is turned on to the line so that the nose wheel ends up on the line and the body of the aircraft is centered on the line. The captain must rely on the ground crew for wing tip clearance. This is especially true of the medium large transport X whose wing tip cannot be seen from the cockpit. If in doubt, stop. If necessary, pull it in to the gate with a tug.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG WING TIP STRUCK GND VEHICLE PARKING AT GATE WHILE UNDER DIRECTION OF GUIDE MAN.

Narrative: THE ACFT, MLG X, WAS BEING TAXIED IN TO GATE AT SNA WITH A MLG Y AND FUEL TRUCK ON THE GATE TO THE LEFT, AND GND EQUIP ON THE RIGHT. WHILE TURNING ON TO THE GATE TAXI LINE, THE WING WALKER, WHILE IN VIEW, WAS GIVING CONTINUOUS THUMBS UP. ONCE HE WAS OUT OF VIEW OF THE COCKPIT, FULL ATTN WAS GIVEN TO THE GUIDE MAN WHO GAVE CONTINUOUS COME AHEAD SIGNALS UNTIL THE ACFT CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP WITH THE NOSE SWINGING TO THE LEFT. THE LEFT WING HAD IMPACTED THE WINDSHIELD OF THE FUEL TRUCK WHOSE CAB EXTENDED APPROX 3' BEYOND THE WING. THE ACFT WAS SHUT DOWN AND POSITIONED TO THE GATE WITH A TUG. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO PAX, CREW OR GND PERSONNEL. DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO THE CAB OF THE FUEL TRUCK AND THE OUTER 6' OF THE LEFT WING TIP, WHICH WAS REPLACED OVERNIGHT. AT NO TIME DURING THE TAXI PROC WAS A SLOW DOWN OR STOP SIGNAL GIVEN BY THE GUIDE MAN. COME AHEAD WAS STILL BEING GIVEN ON IMPACT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: THE TAXI CREW PRIOR TO OUR ARR WAS UNLOADING THE ADJACENT MLG Y AND WAS DIRECTED ON VERY SHORT NOTICE TO HANDLE THE TAXI IN OF OUR FLT. OPS AT BOTH GATES WERE EXTREMELY HURRIED DUE TO THE IMPENDING CLOSURE OF SNA AT XA20L (RWY LIGHTING OTS). THE GND CREW PROBABLY HAD NO TIME TO SIZE UP THE SITUATION PRIOR TO OUR ARR. THERE ARE NO FOUL LINES ON THE RAMP AT GATES, WHICH WOULD ASSIST GND CREWS IN JUDGING ADEQUATE WING TIP SEP OR BY WHICH VEH DRIVERS COULD DETERMINE UNSAFE AREAS. THIS IS COMPOUNDED BY THE FACT THAT THE ENTIRE ACR RAMP IS VERY CONGESTED WITH CLOSE SPACING BTWN ACFT. IN MY OPINION, 2 AREAS NEED TO BE EMPHASIZED WHEN TRNING GND CREWS IN TAXI PROCS: TO GET THE ACFT PROPERLY LINED UP AT THE GATE, THE NOSE MUST TRAVEL A CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE PAST THE LINE BEFORE THE ACFT IS TURNED ON TO THE LINE SO THAT THE NOSE WHEEL ENDS UP ON THE LINE AND THE BODY OF THE ACFT IS CENTERED ON THE LINE. THE CAPT MUST RELY ON THE GND CREW FOR WING TIP CLRNC. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE OF THE MLG X WHOSE WING TIP CANNOT BE SEEN FROM THE COCKPIT. IF IN DOUBT, STOP. IF NECESSARY, PULL IT IN TO THE GATE WITH A TUG.

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