Narrative:

Aircraft taxiing into ramp area after landing was directed into external power cart. Aircraft skin was punctured just forward of right strake. Gash in aircraft side 6' long and 2' wide. One stringer was torn and rivets popped loose from skin. Aircraft was removed from revenue service and skin patched. WX conditions at time of accident: visibility 2 mi in rain showers. Windshield wipers were used for taxi in. Ramp was wet and lead in line invisible to crew due to no lights on ramp and area was backlit by terminal lights. Lead in man had lighted wands and was presumed to be standing on lead in line. Power cart was next to lead man. This is a normal taxi in confign. A right turn of 90 degrees was needed to line up with lead in man. Proceeding inbound with caution due to wet conditions and wipers running in slow mode and unable to see lead in line. Aircraft was left of lead in line as taxiing in. Lead man moved to aircraft left to be better seen by captain. As aircraft approached parking spot view of power cart was obscured by aircraft nose as aircraft approached spot. Lead man on aircraft left directed aircraft to right to align nose gear on parking spot. Power cart was parked too close to nose spot lead in line. Cart was not in view by crew because view was blocked by nose of aircraft. Cart view was obscured to lead man due to his standing on opp side of cart and unable to back up due to fence separating the ramp from terminal. Lead man directed a small turn to right to align nose wheel on parking spot. Nose went about a foot right and impacted cart. Crew stopped aircraft and lead man was still signaling aircraft to move right and forward. Examination of aircraft revealed above damage. Cause: cart was parked too close to lead line. Lead in man unable to back up and obtain overall view of crew and nose area due to fence. Lead man watching nose wheel in relation to parking spot and rain promoted poor view. Correct problem by placing cart further away from aircraft in possibly a painted designated area on ramp. Ramp personnel park carts close to lead line because they don't want to unwind power cords. Supplemental information from acn 86736: as the ground guide slowly began to bring his wands together to signal a stop there was a loud crunch.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG UNDER DIRECTION OF GUIDE MAN STRUCK GND POWER CART WHILE PARKING.

Narrative: ACFT TAXIING INTO RAMP AREA AFTER LNDG WAS DIRECTED INTO EXTERNAL PWR CART. ACFT SKIN WAS PUNCTURED JUST FORWARD OF RIGHT STRAKE. GASH IN ACFT SIDE 6' LONG AND 2' WIDE. ONE STRINGER WAS TORN AND RIVETS POPPED LOOSE FROM SKIN. ACFT WAS REMOVED FROM REVENUE SVC AND SKIN PATCHED. WX CONDITIONS AT TIME OF ACCIDENT: VIS 2 MI IN RAIN SHOWERS. WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE USED FOR TAXI IN. RAMP WAS WET AND LEAD IN LINE INVISIBLE TO CREW DUE TO NO LIGHTS ON RAMP AND AREA WAS BACKLIT BY TERMINAL LIGHTS. LEAD IN MAN HAD LIGHTED WANDS AND WAS PRESUMED TO BE STANDING ON LEAD IN LINE. PWR CART WAS NEXT TO LEAD MAN. THIS IS A NORMAL TAXI IN CONFIGN. A RIGHT TURN OF 90 DEGS WAS NEEDED TO LINE UP WITH LEAD IN MAN. PROCEEDING INBND WITH CAUTION DUE TO WET CONDITIONS AND WIPERS RUNNING IN SLOW MODE AND UNABLE TO SEE LEAD IN LINE. ACFT WAS LEFT OF LEAD IN LINE AS TAXIING IN. LEAD MAN MOVED TO ACFT LEFT TO BE BETTER SEEN BY CAPT. AS ACFT APCHED PARKING SPOT VIEW OF PWR CART WAS OBSCURED BY ACFT NOSE AS ACFT APCHED SPOT. LEAD MAN ON ACFT LEFT DIRECTED ACFT TO RIGHT TO ALIGN NOSE GEAR ON PARKING SPOT. PWR CART WAS PARKED TOO CLOSE TO NOSE SPOT LEAD IN LINE. CART WAS NOT IN VIEW BY CREW BECAUSE VIEW WAS BLOCKED BY NOSE OF ACFT. CART VIEW WAS OBSCURED TO LEAD MAN DUE TO HIS STANDING ON OPP SIDE OF CART AND UNABLE TO BACK UP DUE TO FENCE SEPARATING THE RAMP FROM TERMINAL. LEAD MAN DIRECTED A SMALL TURN TO RIGHT TO ALIGN NOSE WHEEL ON PARKING SPOT. NOSE WENT ABOUT A FOOT RIGHT AND IMPACTED CART. CREW STOPPED ACFT AND LEAD MAN WAS STILL SIGNALING ACFT TO MOVE RIGHT AND FORWARD. EXAMINATION OF ACFT REVEALED ABOVE DAMAGE. CAUSE: CART WAS PARKED TOO CLOSE TO LEAD LINE. LEAD IN MAN UNABLE TO BACK UP AND OBTAIN OVERALL VIEW OF CREW AND NOSE AREA DUE TO FENCE. LEAD MAN WATCHING NOSE WHEEL IN RELATION TO PARKING SPOT AND RAIN PROMOTED POOR VIEW. CORRECT PROB BY PLACING CART FURTHER AWAY FROM ACFT IN POSSIBLY A PAINTED DESIGNATED AREA ON RAMP. RAMP PERSONNEL PARK CARTS CLOSE TO LEAD LINE BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO UNWIND PWR CORDS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 86736: AS THE GND GUIDE SLOWLY BEGAN TO BRING HIS WANDS TOGETHER TO SIGNAL A STOP THERE WAS A LOUD CRUNCH.

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.