Wing tip of medium large transport hit blast fence.

Attributes
ACN	134941
Time
Date	199001
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : ewr
State Reference	NJ
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	ground : holding ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 180 flight time total : 10000
ASRS Report	134941
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 173 flight time total : 5500 flight time type : 173
ASRS Report	135237
Events
Anomaly	conflict : ground less severe
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Taxiing into the ballpark area, I noticed another aircraft parked in the area. During this period of time my first officer was occupied with radio communications with ewr company ground operations and was distracted from monitoring taxi procedures. He requested that I monitor ground control, I acknowledged. I intended to maneuver my aircraft along the blast fence bordering the back side of the area and taxi up along side of the parked aircraft. I approached the blast fence at an angle focusing at the base of the fence for proper clearance. Keeping my attention on the parked aircraft I turned my aircraft left to maneuver along side. My right wing tip scraped the blast fence damaging the right wing tip. My recommendation to prevent this incident again: to paint the top of that blast fence yellow and paint guide lines in the ballpark area, and better vigilance on my part. Supplemental information from acn 135237: I believe I was sufficiently distracted during taxi by the radio call made to company operations. Turned out, after the fact, not to have contained any information relevant to the safe operation of the aircraft. Furthermore, the ewr company operations practice of calling flight crews to obtain or give information not pertinent to the safety of flight operations be stopped!

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WING TIP OF MLG HIT BLAST FENCE.

Narrative: TAXIING INTO THE BALLPARK AREA, I NOTICED ANOTHER ACFT PARKED IN THE AREA. DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME MY F/O WAS OCCUPIED WITH RADIO COMS WITH EWR COMPANY GND OPS AND WAS DISTRACTED FROM MONITORING TAXI PROCS. HE REQUESTED THAT I MONITOR GND CTL, I ACKNOWLEDGED. I INTENDED TO MANEUVER MY ACFT ALONG THE BLAST FENCE BORDERING THE BACK SIDE OF THE AREA AND TAXI UP ALONG SIDE OF THE PARKED ACFT. I APCHED THE BLAST FENCE AT AN ANGLE FOCUSING AT THE BASE OF THE FENCE FOR PROPER CLRNC. KEEPING MY ATTN ON THE PARKED ACFT I TURNED MY ACFT LEFT TO MANEUVER ALONG SIDE. MY RIGHT WING TIP SCRAPED THE BLAST FENCE DAMAGING THE RIGHT WING TIP. MY RECOMMENDATION TO PREVENT THIS INCIDENT AGAIN: TO PAINT THE TOP OF THAT BLAST FENCE YELLOW AND PAINT GUIDE LINES IN THE BALLPARK AREA, AND BETTER VIGILANCE ON MY PART. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 135237: I BELIEVE I WAS SUFFICIENTLY DISTRACTED DURING TAXI BY THE RADIO CALL MADE TO COMPANY OPS. TURNED OUT, AFTER THE FACT, NOT TO HAVE CONTAINED ANY INFO RELEVANT TO THE SAFE OPERATION OF THE ACFT. FURTHERMORE, THE EWR COMPANY OPS PRACTICE OF CALLING FLT CREWS TO OBTAIN OR GIVE INFO NOT PERTINENT TO THE SAFETY OF FLT OPS BE STOPPED!

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