Narrative:

This captain taxied from a parking ramp onto a taxiway which was not part of the aoa at las. Buses were parked aside the taxiway on the r-hand side. The bus parked nearest to the taxiway wasn't parallel to the taxiway, but rather somewhat 'nose-in, tail-out.' I was looking out and aft to the wingtip. The captain asked how we looked. I responded, 'plenty of room.' I didn't know the front of the bus was closer to us than the rear. The captain must not have heard me because he quickly asked me again. I turned my head so he could hear me and I repeated myself, noting the nosewheel well left of centerline. Before I could turn back to the wingtip, it had struck the 2 forward windows of the bus's driver side. We turned around, the buses were moved, and we taxied back and deplaned. Factors contributing to this were first, we had a false sense of security and second, we were 40 mins late departing and the people leading the charter group were getting impatient and trying to get us to hurry. The false sense of security came from several factors. We knew the charter company had been chartering jet aircraft for some time now and in fact an MD80 (longer wing span) was parked alongside us, ready to taxi behind us. The buses were parked off the right side of the taxiway, but the distance they were from us, coupled with the narrowness of this private taxiway, left us feeling wingtip clearance was not a problem as he released the brakes and taxied on the ramp towards the taxiway. The fact that we weren't shocked and instantly alarmed by buses anywhere near us was that the charter company had been doing this type of operation for a long time. No wing walkers were ever brought to us, and in fact only 1 person to pull chocks and signal us for engine start was on the ramp once we were finished with our paperwork and ready for engine start. In the future I won't allow a captain to proceed if it looks ok. If you even have to really look to see if a wingtip clearance is ok, it is not. I don't know why my captain proceeded with the taxi when we approached the bus, but I got caught up in trying to help him, I lost sight of the fact that I needed to stop him. Supplemental information from acn 327827: I had to rely on information provided by first officer. He told me we had plenty of room all the way until impact. The odd angle that the bus was parked created a parallax problem for the first officer.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE FLC OF A CHARTER FLT STRIKES A CHARTER BUS WITH ITS WINGTIP AS IT ATTEMPTS TO TAXI.

Narrative: THIS CAPT TAXIED FROM A PARKING RAMP ONTO A TXWY WHICH WAS NOT PART OF THE AOA AT LAS. BUSES WERE PARKED ASIDE THE TXWY ON THE R-HAND SIDE. THE BUS PARKED NEAREST TO THE TXWY WASN'T PARALLEL TO THE TXWY, BUT RATHER SOMEWHAT 'NOSE-IN, TAIL-OUT.' I WAS LOOKING OUT AND AFT TO THE WINGTIP. THE CAPT ASKED HOW WE LOOKED. I RESPONDED, 'PLENTY OF ROOM.' I DIDN'T KNOW THE FRONT OF THE BUS WAS CLOSER TO US THAN THE REAR. THE CAPT MUST NOT HAVE HEARD ME BECAUSE HE QUICKLY ASKED ME AGAIN. I TURNED MY HEAD SO HE COULD HEAR ME AND I REPEATED MYSELF, NOTING THE NOSEWHEEL WELL L OF CTRLINE. BEFORE I COULD TURN BACK TO THE WINGTIP, IT HAD STRUCK THE 2 FORWARD WINDOWS OF THE BUS'S DRIVER SIDE. WE TURNED AROUND, THE BUSES WERE MOVED, AND WE TAXIED BACK AND DEPLANED. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS WERE FIRST, WE HAD A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY AND SECOND, WE WERE 40 MINS LATE DEPARTING AND THE PEOPLE LEADING THE CHARTER GROUP WERE GETTING IMPATIENT AND TRYING TO GET US TO HURRY. THE FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY CAME FROM SEVERAL FACTORS. WE KNEW THE CHARTER COMPANY HAD BEEN CHARTERING JET ACFT FOR SOME TIME NOW AND IN FACT AN MD80 (LONGER WING SPAN) WAS PARKED ALONGSIDE US, READY TO TAXI BEHIND US. THE BUSES WERE PARKED OFF THE R SIDE OF THE TXWY, BUT THE DISTANCE THEY WERE FROM US, COUPLED WITH THE NARROWNESS OF THIS PVT TXWY, LEFT US FEELING WINGTIP CLRNC WAS NOT A PROB AS HE RELEASED THE BRAKES AND TAXIED ON THE RAMP TOWARDS THE TXWY. THE FACT THAT WE WEREN'T SHOCKED AND INSTANTLY ALARMED BY BUSES ANYWHERE NEAR US WAS THAT THE CHARTER COMPANY HAD BEEN DOING THIS TYPE OF OP FOR A LONG TIME. NO WING WALKERS WERE EVER BROUGHT TO US, AND IN FACT ONLY 1 PERSON TO PULL CHOCKS AND SIGNAL US FOR ENG START WAS ON THE RAMP ONCE WE WERE FINISHED WITH OUR PAPERWORK AND READY FOR ENG START. IN THE FUTURE I WON'T ALLOW A CAPT TO PROCEED IF IT LOOKS OK. IF YOU EVEN HAVE TO REALLY LOOK TO SEE IF A WINGTIP CLRNC IS OK, IT IS NOT. I DON'T KNOW WHY MY CAPT PROCEEDED WITH THE TAXI WHEN WE APCHED THE BUS, BUT I GOT CAUGHT UP IN TRYING TO HELP HIM, I LOST SIGHT OF THE FACT THAT I NEEDED TO STOP HIM. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 327827: I HAD TO RELY ON INFO PROVIDED BY FO. HE TOLD ME WE HAD PLENTY OF ROOM ALL THE WAY UNTIL IMPACT. THE ODD ANGLE THAT THE BUS WAS PARKED CREATED A PARALLAX PROB FOR THE FO.

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.