Narrative:

Pushed back from parking spot X at msp. After engine start and clearance to taxi, proceeded to move the aircraft toward the exit point at the south end of the ramp. At the initiation of the left turn to exit the ramp to taxiway south, we felt the right wingtip contact the tail area of air carrier DC8. I immediately brought the plane to a stop, and we attempted to verify that we had hit the parked DC8. Our mechanic came on the headset and advised that we shut down the #3 engine at the same time verifying that we had struck the DC8 freighter parked near north access a few moments earlier. We received our clearance onto taxiway south and commenced a turn to accomplish that. At the initiation of the left turn, we felt our right wingtip contact the tail area of the air carrier airplane. I immediately brought our plane to a stop and we attempted to verify that we had indeed hit the parked DC8. Our mechanic came on the headset as we were attempting to contact the ramp office on the radio and he advised us to shut down the #3 engine, at the same time verifying that we had struck the DC8 freighter. The taxi speed at the time of impact I approximated to be 4-6 KTS. We waited several mins after securing the aircraft, switching to APU power, and shutting down the remaining operating engines. We opened the right entry door and surveyed the scene which was our first look at the impact area. We pulled the cockpit voice recorder circuit breaker and made a maintenance log entry. Shortly after exiting the aircraft, we got a closer inspection of the damage and saw where the upper right winglet of our aircraft had struck the right stabilizer of the DC8. Surveying the scene we could not find any limit line on the air carrier property. From the visible line to the north on the air carrier ramp we guesstimated the air carrier airplane to be 15-20 ft over the line, if the marking on our property were extended to the south across the air carrier ramp. Supplemental information from acn 361984: in retrospect, I cannot think of any reasonable action that we, the aircrew, could have taken to prevent the incident other than stopping and requesting a wing walker if we had even suspected the clearance to be in question. Most certainly, if we had suspected a potential problem, we would have stopped and gotten help before continuing. In my opinion, the primary cause was that the DC8 was parked with approximately 15-18 ft of his tail section extended into the taxi lane. Contributing causes: 1) the operator of the parking area where the DC8 was parked had improperly parked the aircraft leaving it dangerously parked with the tail section extending into the taxi lane. 2) the clearance line separating the taxi lane from the parking gates south of the air carrier ramp area had been allowed to deteriorate beyond recognition, difficult to see when standing right on it and impossible to see from any distance away, certainly not discernible from the cockpit of our aircraft. 3) lighting on that portion of the ramp was poor, failing to adequately illuminate the parking area. Recommendation corrective actions: 1) mandate that msp airport authority or other responsible party, require all operators and contractors in that area to comply with the integrity of parking areas and taxi lanes. 2) correct findings (2) and (3) above. 3) consider changing the air carrier procedure on page 10- 10 of msp to direct departing aircraft to exit out access 1 instead of access 2 where there is no apparent control of aircraft, operators, or contractors.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD11 TAXIES OUT FROM MSP FREIGHT AREA AND THE R WINGLET STRIKES A DC8 STABILIZER BECAUSE THE DC8 IS NOT PARKED IN THE PROPER LOCATION.

Narrative: PUSHED BACK FROM PARKING SPOT X AT MSP. AFTER ENG START AND CLRNC TO TAXI, PROCEEDED TO MOVE THE ACFT TOWARD THE EXIT POINT AT THE S END OF THE RAMP. AT THE INITIATION OF THE L TURN TO EXIT THE RAMP TO TXWY S, WE FELT THE R WINGTIP CONTACT THE TAIL AREA OF ACR DC8. I IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT THE PLANE TO A STOP, AND WE ATTEMPTED TO VERIFY THAT WE HAD HIT THE PARKED DC8. OUR MECH CAME ON THE HEADSET AND ADVISED THAT WE SHUT DOWN THE #3 ENG AT THE SAME TIME VERIFYING THAT WE HAD STRUCK THE DC8 FREIGHTER PARKED NEAR N ACCESS A FEW MOMENTS EARLIER. WE RECEIVED OUR CLRNC ONTO TXWY S AND COMMENCED A TURN TO ACCOMPLISH THAT. AT THE INITIATION OF THE L TURN, WE FELT OUR R WINGTIP CONTACT THE TAIL AREA OF THE ACR AIRPLANE. I IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT OUR PLANE TO A STOP AND WE ATTEMPTED TO VERIFY THAT WE HAD INDEED HIT THE PARKED DC8. OUR MECH CAME ON THE HEADSET AS WE WERE ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT THE RAMP OFFICE ON THE RADIO AND HE ADVISED US TO SHUT DOWN THE #3 ENG, AT THE SAME TIME VERIFYING THAT WE HAD STRUCK THE DC8 FREIGHTER. THE TAXI SPD AT THE TIME OF IMPACT I APPROXIMATED TO BE 4-6 KTS. WE WAITED SEVERAL MINS AFTER SECURING THE ACFT, SWITCHING TO APU PWR, AND SHUTTING DOWN THE REMAINING OPERATING ENGS. WE OPENED THE R ENTRY DOOR AND SURVEYED THE SCENE WHICH WAS OUR FIRST LOOK AT THE IMPACT AREA. WE PULLED THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER CIRCUIT BREAKER AND MADE A MAINT LOG ENTRY. SHORTLY AFTER EXITING THE ACFT, WE GOT A CLOSER INSPECTION OF THE DAMAGE AND SAW WHERE THE UPPER R WINGLET OF OUR ACFT HAD STRUCK THE R STABILIZER OF THE DC8. SURVEYING THE SCENE WE COULD NOT FIND ANY LIMIT LINE ON THE ACR PROPERTY. FROM THE VISIBLE LINE TO THE N ON THE ACR RAMP WE GUESSTIMATED THE ACR AIRPLANE TO BE 15-20 FT OVER THE LINE, IF THE MARKING ON OUR PROPERTY WERE EXTENDED TO THE S ACROSS THE ACR RAMP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 361984: IN RETROSPECT, I CANNOT THINK OF ANY REASONABLE ACTION THAT WE, THE AIRCREW, COULD HAVE TAKEN TO PREVENT THE INCIDENT OTHER THAN STOPPING AND REQUESTING A WING WALKER IF WE HAD EVEN SUSPECTED THE CLRNC TO BE IN QUESTION. MOST CERTAINLY, IF WE HAD SUSPECTED A POTENTIAL PROB, WE WOULD HAVE STOPPED AND GOTTEN HELP BEFORE CONTINUING. IN MY OPINION, THE PRIMARY CAUSE WAS THAT THE DC8 WAS PARKED WITH APPROX 15-18 FT OF HIS TAIL SECTION EXTENDED INTO THE TAXI LANE. CONTRIBUTING CAUSES: 1) THE OPERATOR OF THE PARKING AREA WHERE THE DC8 WAS PARKED HAD IMPROPERLY PARKED THE ACFT LEAVING IT DANGEROUSLY PARKED WITH THE TAIL SECTION EXTENDING INTO THE TAXI LANE. 2) THE CLRNC LINE SEPARATING THE TAXI LANE FROM THE PARKING GATES S OF THE ACR RAMP AREA HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO DETERIORATE BEYOND RECOGNITION, DIFFICULT TO SEE WHEN STANDING RIGHT ON IT AND IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE FROM ANY DISTANCE AWAY, CERTAINLY NOT DISCERNIBLE FROM THE COCKPIT OF OUR ACFT. 3) LIGHTING ON THAT PORTION OF THE RAMP WAS POOR, FAILING TO ADEQUATELY ILLUMINATE THE PARKING AREA. RECOMMENDATION CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: 1) MANDATE THAT MSP ARPT AUTHORITY OR OTHER RESPONSIBLE PARTY, REQUIRE ALL OPERATORS AND CONTRACTORS IN THAT AREA TO COMPLY WITH THE INTEGRITY OF PARKING AREAS AND TAXI LANES. 2) CORRECT FINDINGS (2) AND (3) ABOVE. 3) CONSIDER CHANGING THE ACR PROC ON PAGE 10- 10 OF MSP TO DIRECT DEPARTING ACFT TO EXIT OUT ACCESS 1 INSTEAD OF ACCESS 2 WHERE THERE IS NO APPARENT CTL OF ACFT, OPERATORS, OR CONTRACTORS.

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.