Narrative:

During our flight on sep/xa/00 at lga, at XA15, on taxiway Y, left outboard leading edge slat struck top of border fence. We were taxiing out to takeoff on runway 13. Taxi instructions were to cross runway 4 at taxiway cy and turn onto taxiway bb. As we were crossing runway 4, ground came up with new taxi instructions, 'take taxiway east to taxiway cc and follow an air carrier Y aircraft on taxiway cc.' this new set of instructions confused us as we were looking for the air carrier Y aircraft and in close proximity to air carrier Z aircraft pushing off to our left. By mistake we continued on taxiway Y. To the right of Y were many private aircraft parked very closely to the taxiway. I moved the aircraft slightly left as the clearance was dangerously close. On my left was the airport boundary fence. I looked and felt my wingtip was clear but extending up on a corner was a red light which my left wingtip area hit. We returned to the gate and the flight was canceled. Supplemental information from acn 484296: so we kept going past taxiway bb on taxiway Y and were going to join taxiway east from there. It states on our commercial charts that taxiway Y is closed to anything with wing spans over 110 ft -- our wing span is 93 ft so we were good to go. We rounded the corner and found a bunch of cpr jets parked on the northeast side of taxiway Y. Our left wingtip hit a light stanchion on a fence post. The warning of closed to aircraft with wing spans over 110 ft is not true. It would be fine to use if not for the parked aircraft on the northeast side of taxiway Y. They are definitely infringing on the 110 ft of taxi clearance space. If it looks close -- it is. Set the brakes and get a tug out to you and have them push you back out of the hole you got into. Callback conversation with reporter acn 484298 revealed the following information: reporter said that the aircraft parked on the taxiway were there because of a major collection of government personnel in new york for a meeting. It is unusual. He said that taxi time was extended because of the congestion at the airport and they had been away from the gate for over 1 hour. They became confused and realize, in hindsight, that they should have stopped to sort out what were confusing instructions from the ground controller. His modification of the taxi clearance only changed the last portion of the routing. In an effort to figure it out and clear traffic the crew missed the turn onto taxiway bb.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR CREW TAKES WRONG TXWY AT LGA, NY. RESULT WAS CONTACT WITH THE ARPT FENCE AS AN EFFORT WAS MADE TO MISPARK ACFT ALONG A NARROW TXWY.

Narrative: DURING OUR FLT ON SEP/XA/00 AT LGA, AT XA15, ON TXWY Y, L OUTBOARD LEADING EDGE SLAT STRUCK TOP OF BORDER FENCE. WE WERE TAXIING OUT TO TKOF ON RWY 13. TAXI INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO CROSS RWY 4 AT TXWY CY AND TURN ONTO TXWY BB. AS WE WERE XING RWY 4, GND CAME UP WITH NEW TAXI INSTRUCTIONS, 'TAKE TXWY E TO TXWY CC AND FOLLOW AN ACR Y ACFT ON TXWY CC.' THIS NEW SET OF INSTRUCTIONS CONFUSED US AS WE WERE LOOKING FOR THE ACR Y ACFT AND IN CLOSE PROX TO ACR Z ACFT PUSHING OFF TO OUR L. BY MISTAKE WE CONTINUED ON TXWY Y. TO THE R OF Y WERE MANY PVT ACFT PARKED VERY CLOSELY TO THE TXWY. I MOVED THE ACFT SLIGHTLY L AS THE CLRNC WAS DANGEROUSLY CLOSE. ON MY L WAS THE ARPT BOUNDARY FENCE. I LOOKED AND FELT MY WINGTIP WAS CLR BUT EXTENDING UP ON A CORNER WAS A RED LIGHT WHICH MY L WINGTIP AREA HIT. WE RETURNED TO THE GATE AND THE FLT WAS CANCELED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 484296: SO WE KEPT GOING PAST TXWY BB ON TXWY Y AND WERE GOING TO JOIN TXWY E FROM THERE. IT STATES ON OUR COMMERCIAL CHARTS THAT TXWY Y IS CLOSED TO ANYTHING WITH WING SPANS OVER 110 FT -- OUR WING SPAN IS 93 FT SO WE WERE GOOD TO GO. WE ROUNDED THE CORNER AND FOUND A BUNCH OF CPR JETS PARKED ON THE NE SIDE OF TXWY Y. OUR L WINGTIP HIT A LIGHT STANCHION ON A FENCE POST. THE WARNING OF CLOSED TO ACFT WITH WING SPANS OVER 110 FT IS NOT TRUE. IT WOULD BE FINE TO USE IF NOT FOR THE PARKED ACFT ON THE NE SIDE OF TXWY Y. THEY ARE DEFINITELY INFRINGING ON THE 110 FT OF TAXI CLRNC SPACE. IF IT LOOKS CLOSE -- IT IS. SET THE BRAKES AND GET A TUG OUT TO YOU AND HAVE THEM PUSH YOU BACK OUT OF THE HOLE YOU GOT INTO. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 484298 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR SAID THAT THE ACFT PARKED ON THE TXWY WERE THERE BECAUSE OF A MAJOR COLLECTION OF GOV PERSONNEL IN NEW YORK FOR A MEETING. IT IS UNUSUAL. HE SAID THAT TAXI TIME WAS EXTENDED BECAUSE OF THE CONGESTION AT THE ARPT AND THEY HAD BEEN AWAY FROM THE GATE FOR OVER 1 HR. THEY BECAME CONFUSED AND REALIZE, IN HINDSIGHT, THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE STOPPED TO SORT OUT WHAT WERE CONFUSING INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE GND CTLR. HIS MODIFICATION OF THE TAXI CLRNC ONLY CHANGED THE LAST PORTION OF THE ROUTING. IN AN EFFORT TO FIGURE IT OUT AND CLR TFC THE CREW MISSED THE TURN ONTO TXWY BB.

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.