Narrative:

Upon clearance from ground control and brake release, we pushed back from gate with the tail pointed northeast toward the street blast wall. Gate is the most adjacent gate to this concrete wall. After an uneventful pushback, brakes were set and normal disconnect procedures executed, and all ground crew returned to the gate except 1 taxi director. Brakes were released and a shallow right hand turn out proceeded toward the ramp pad and runway 23R holding point. After taxiing a few hundred ft to runway 23R a message was received that the aircraft tail structure had struck and felled a light pole adjacent to the fence. After taxi back to the gate an inspection showed the left hand horizontal stabilizer outboard cap had been damaged. The light pole had snapped easily due to its thin wall tube design, cold outside air temperature (approximately 16 degrees F), and ht of impact above its base. Other possible contributing factors included the fact that the company was in transition with lgts from type a to type B which are approximately 20 ft longer. It goes without saying that if someone had been assigned to monitor the tail clearance during taxi out, this incident would never have happened in all probability.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR TAXIING FROM RAMP HAS TAIL HIT LIGHT POLE. ACFT DAMAGED. POLE DESTROYED.

Narrative: UPON CLRNC FROM GND CTL AND BRAKE RELEASE, WE PUSHED BACK FROM GATE WITH THE TAIL POINTED NE TOWARD THE STREET BLAST WALL. GATE IS THE MOST ADJACENT GATE TO THIS CONCRETE WALL. AFTER AN UNEVENTFUL PUSHBACK, BRAKES WERE SET AND NORMAL DISCONNECT PROCS EXECUTED, AND ALL GND CREW RETURNED TO THE GATE EXCEPT 1 TAXI DIRECTOR. BRAKES WERE RELEASED AND A SHALLOW R HAND TURN OUT PROCEEDED TOWARD THE RAMP PAD AND RWY 23R HOLDING POINT. AFTER TAXIING A FEW HUNDRED FT TO RWY 23R A MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED THAT THE ACFT TAIL STRUCTURE HAD STRUCK AND FELLED A LIGHT POLE ADJACENT TO THE FENCE. AFTER TAXI BACK TO THE GATE AN INSPECTION SHOWED THE L HAND HORIZ STABILIZER OUTBOARD CAP HAD BEEN DAMAGED. THE LIGHT POLE HAD SNAPPED EASILY DUE TO ITS THIN WALL TUBE DESIGN, COLD OUTSIDE AIR TEMP (APPROX 16 DEGS F), AND HT OF IMPACT ABOVE ITS BASE. OTHER POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS INCLUDED THE FACT THAT THE COMPANY WAS IN TRANSITION WITH LGTS FROM TYPE A TO TYPE B WHICH ARE APPROX 20 FT LONGER. IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT IF SOMEONE HAD BEEN ASSIGNED TO MONITOR THE TAIL CLRNC DURING TAXI OUT, THIS INCIDENT WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED IN ALL PROBABILITY.

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.