Narrative:

We were cleared to taxi sbound on B taxiway to A7. Right turn on A7 to join the parallel for a runway 32L takeoff from taxiway M. While sbound on B we approached the south end of the penalty box. A 757 was behind the line in the penalty box and we were on the centerline. The clearance was adequate as we approached. The 757 pilots waved -- we interpreted the wave as a 'hello' wave. Just as we passed the 757 (short of A-5), a thump was heard. We stopped immediately. Within seconds, ord ground asked if we had room to pass. We were already stopped at this point, having heard a thump. The right wingtip of our aircraft struck the 757. Supplemental information from acn 260233: landed runway 4R at ord, taxied to 'penalty box' parking brake set. Aircraft was entirely within confines of penalty box as depicted on ord chart 20-9. Struck by dc-10 taxiing sbound on taxiway B. Strike was on first officer forward side window. No injuries, no fuel spillage and no evacuate/evacuation. Fire department trucks were requested due to possibility of fuel spillage. Every effort was made to avert the collision. 1) VHF radio on ord ground 121.9 'dc-10 stop, dc-10 stop.' 2) waving of arms by captain. 3) rapid flashing of nose taxi light. 4) first officer gave 'hold position' signal (crossed wrists). Note: dc-10 was outbound so probably on different ground control frequency (but we had no way of knowing this at the time). Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: callback to reporter revealed that PIC reporter was flying south american rtes most of the time and had not been into ord in some time. During this time frame, the hold line markings in the penalty box had been changed. The change involved sets of double dashed and single dashed lines denoting hold line placement and taxiway edge markings. The air carrier knew of these changes, but had not as yet notified the flcs of these marking changes. To further confuse the issue, there was snow on the txwys and the penalty box. The city had cleared the snow from the area where the PIC had parked his 757 but had not cleared all of the snow, leaving a substantial portion of the 'box' unplowed and not revealing the remainder of the box that could have been used for maneuvering the aircraft into a properly parked position. The captain stated that, in view of what he could see, he was using all of the confines of the box and turned the aircraft as sharply as he could in trying to tuck the right wing away from the taxiway in his parking turn. The snow also obscured the dashed lines to a greater degree so he had no idea that he was encroaching upon the taxiway until he saw the approaching dc-10 wingtip. Although the PIC felt that the first officer's low time of 3 hours, on his initial operating experience trip, was not contributory, he had asked the first officer to confirm that he was parked in the proper position to clear the taxiway. The air carrier issued a yellow advisory circular to flcs after the incident. He felt that the 'line' that the dc-10 crew saw was the taxiway edge line and they too misinterpreted that as the hold line and continued their taxi. Reporter further stated that he had been at the union/FAA hearing and thus far, the FAA was going to give him a letter of warning. As an aside to event: reporter tried for 20 mins to contact the crash fire rescue personnel on the intercom/radio, but they had no headsets or no radio communication capability. He finally got them to get on intercom by calling ramp and then operations through arinc to sfo!!! Wants FAA to do something about this serious lack of capability with crash fire rescue crews. The lawyer on his side is going to institute a lawsuit against the city reference the lines.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WINGTIP STRIKE BY DC-10 ON PARKED 757 IN ORD PENALTY BOX.

Narrative: WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI SBOUND ON B TXWY TO A7. R TURN ON A7 TO JOIN THE PARALLEL FOR A RWY 32L TKOF FROM TXWY M. WHILE SBOUND ON B WE APCHED THE S END OF THE PENALTY BOX. A 757 WAS BEHIND THE LINE IN THE PENALTY BOX AND WE WERE ON THE CTRLINE. THE CLRNC WAS ADEQUATE AS WE APCHED. THE 757 PLTS WAVED -- WE INTERPRETED THE WAVE AS A 'HELLO' WAVE. JUST AS WE PASSED THE 757 (SHORT OF A-5), A THUMP WAS HEARD. WE STOPPED IMMEDIATELY. WITHIN SECONDS, ORD GND ASKED IF WE HAD ROOM TO PASS. WE WERE ALREADY STOPPED AT THIS POINT, HAVING HEARD A THUMP. THE R WINGTIP OF OUR ACFT STRUCK THE 757. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 260233: LANDED RWY 4R AT ORD, TAXIED TO 'PENALTY BOX' PARKING BRAKE SET. ACFT WAS ENTIRELY WITHIN CONFINES OF PENALTY BOX AS DEPICTED ON ORD CHART 20-9. STRUCK BY DC-10 TAXIING SBOUND ON TXWY B. STRIKE WAS ON FO FORWARD SIDE WINDOW. NO INJURIES, NO FUEL SPILLAGE AND NO EVAC. FIRE DEPT TRUCKS WERE REQUESTED DUE TO POSSIBILITY OF FUEL SPILLAGE. EVERY EFFORT WAS MADE TO AVERT THE COLLISION. 1) VHF RADIO ON ORD GND 121.9 'DC-10 STOP, DC-10 STOP.' 2) WAVING OF ARMS BY CAPT. 3) RAPID FLASHING OF NOSE TAXI LIGHT. 4) FO GAVE 'HOLD POS' SIGNAL (CROSSED WRISTS). NOTE: DC-10 WAS OUTBOUND SO PROBABLY ON DIFFERENT GND CTL FREQ (BUT WE HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING THIS AT THE TIME). CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CALLBACK TO RPTR REVEALED THAT PIC RPTR WAS FLYING S AMERICAN RTES MOST OF THE TIME AND HAD NOT BEEN INTO ORD IN SOME TIME. DURING THIS TIME FRAME, THE HOLD LINE MARKINGS IN THE PENALTY BOX HAD BEEN CHANGED. THE CHANGE INVOLVED SETS OF DOUBLE DASHED AND SINGLE DASHED LINES DENOTING HOLD LINE PLACEMENT AND TXWY EDGE MARKINGS. THE ACR KNEW OF THESE CHANGES, BUT HAD NOT AS YET NOTIFIED THE FLCS OF THESE MARKING CHANGES. TO FURTHER CONFUSE THE ISSUE, THERE WAS SNOW ON THE TXWYS AND THE PENALTY BOX. THE CITY HAD CLRED THE SNOW FROM THE AREA WHERE THE PIC HAD PARKED HIS 757 BUT HAD NOT CLRED ALL OF THE SNOW, LEAVING A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE 'BOX' UNPLOWED AND NOT REVEALING THE REMAINDER OF THE BOX THAT COULD HAVE BEEN USED FOR MANEUVERING THE ACFT INTO A PROPERLY PARKED POS. THE CAPT STATED THAT, IN VIEW OF WHAT HE COULD SEE, HE WAS USING ALL OF THE CONFINES OF THE BOX AND TURNED THE ACFT AS SHARPLY AS HE COULD IN TRYING TO TUCK THE R WING AWAY FROM THE TXWY IN HIS PARKING TURN. THE SNOW ALSO OBSCURED THE DASHED LINES TO A GREATER DEG SO HE HAD NO IDEA THAT HE WAS ENCROACHING UPON THE TXWY UNTIL HE SAW THE APCHING DC-10 WINGTIP. ALTHOUGH THE PIC FELT THAT THE FO'S LOW TIME OF 3 HRS, ON HIS INITIAL OPERATING EXPERIENCE TRIP, WAS NOT CONTRIBUTORY, HE HAD ASKED THE FO TO CONFIRM THAT HE WAS PARKED IN THE PROPER POS TO CLR THE TXWY. THE ACR ISSUED A YELLOW ADVISORY CIRCULAR TO FLCS AFTER THE INCIDENT. HE FELT THAT THE 'LINE' THAT THE DC-10 CREW SAW WAS THE TXWY EDGE LINE AND THEY TOO MISINTERPRETED THAT AS THE HOLD LINE AND CONTINUED THEIR TAXI. RPTR FURTHER STATED THAT HE HAD BEEN AT THE UNION/FAA HEARING AND THUS FAR, THE FAA WAS GOING TO GIVE HIM A LETTER OF WARNING. AS AN ASIDE TO EVENT: RPTR TRIED FOR 20 MINS TO CONTACT THE CRASH FIRE RESCUE PERSONNEL ON THE INTERCOM/RADIO, BUT THEY HAD NO HEADSETS OR NO RADIO COM CAPABILITY. HE FINALLY GOT THEM TO GET ON INTERCOM BY CALLING RAMP AND THEN OPS THROUGH ARINC TO SFO!!! WANTS FAA TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS SERIOUS LACK OF CAPABILITY WITH CRASH FIRE RESCUE CREWS. THE LAWYER ON HIS SIDE IS GOING TO INSTITUTE A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE CITY REF THE LINES.

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.