Narrative:

Taxi into gate after another erj had just parked to our right. Rampers were outside waiting on us; and I and the first officer did not see obstacles in our path. The ramper on the lead-in line marshalled us in using lighted wands; and I saw a wing walker on the left also using lighted wands. I do not remember seeing a right wing walker or any obstacles. During the last 3-4 feet of the taxi in; we felt a vibration; like we were driving over bumps in a road. We set the brake and shut down the aircraft once ground power was available. The first officer did the post flight walk around and asked me to come down to the ramp; where several operations people were examining our right wingtip. It was obvious that we had hit something; with scratches and rub marks starting at the leading edge; marking the underside of the wing; back to the aileron. The nav light lens was also scratched on the bottom; and the light baffle between the lens and the wing was cracked; with pieces missing. The ramper who was on the lead-in line and marshalling us in was there; and stated the right wing walker was not using lighted wands and he (the lead-in person) never saw the right wing walker drop his wand; indicating we needed to stop. We did not see this occur as we were already past his position; and I was focused on the lead-in ramper who was guiding us in. In speaking to the operations supervisor there seemed to be some doubt whether there was a right wing walker waiting for us; or whether this person was working the adjacent flight and moved into position as we were taxiing in; but did not have lighted wands. Again this was outside my field of view; and all indications I had from the lead-in ramper indicated it was safe to continue. I obtained photos of the damage; the ramp safety markings; but the bag cart we hit had already been moved away from the aircraft. For this reason I am unable to ascertain exactly where on the ramp we hit the bag cart; if the bag cart was stationary or in motion; and if the bag cart was inside the red safety zone at the time of impact. I contacted maintenance control; emailed maintenance control photos of the damage; called dispatch; and spoke to the chief pilot on call. The ground crew was the primary threat here; and their non-compliance to safety policies concerning lighted wands and equipment within the safety zone. Communication between the ground crew was very poor; as I believe the lead-in ramper would have stopped us if he had any indication of an obstacle in our path.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMB145 flight crew reports right wingtip damage due to contacting a baggage cart during taxi in to the gate under the direction of a marshall and two wing walkers.

Narrative: Taxi into gate after another ERJ had just parked to our right. Rampers were outside waiting on us; and I and the First Officer did not see obstacles in our path. The Ramper on the lead-in line marshalled us in using lighted wands; and I saw a wing walker on the left also using lighted wands. I do not remember seeing a right wing walker or any obstacles. During the last 3-4 feet of the taxi in; we felt a vibration; like we were driving over bumps in a road. We set the brake and shut down the aircraft once ground power was available. The First Officer did the post flight walk around and asked me to come down to the ramp; where several operations people were examining our right wingtip. It was obvious that we had hit something; with scratches and rub marks starting at the leading edge; marking the underside of the wing; back to the aileron. The nav light lens was also scratched on the bottom; and the light baffle between the lens and the wing was cracked; with pieces missing. The Ramper who was on the lead-in line and marshalling us in was there; and stated the right wing walker was not using lighted wands and he (the lead-in person) never saw the right wing walker drop his wand; indicating we needed to stop. We did not see this occur as we were already past his position; and I was focused on the lead-in Ramper who was guiding us in. In speaking to the Operations Supervisor there seemed to be some doubt whether there was a right wing walker waiting for us; or whether this person was working the adjacent flight and moved into position as we were taxiing in; but did not have lighted wands. Again this was outside my field of view; and all indications I had from the lead-in Ramper indicated it was safe to continue. I obtained photos of the damage; the ramp safety markings; but the bag cart we hit had already been moved away from the aircraft. For this reason I am unable to ascertain exactly where on the ramp we hit the bag cart; if the bag cart was stationary or in motion; and if the bag cart was inside the red safety zone at the time of impact. I contacted Maintenance Control; emailed Maintenance Control photos of the damage; called Dispatch; and spoke to the Chief Pilot on call. The ground crew was the primary threat here; and their non-compliance to safety policies concerning lighted wands and equipment within the safety zone. Communication between the ground crew was very poor; as I believe the lead-in Ramper would have stopped us if he had any indication of an obstacle in our path.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.