Narrative:

The gate area seemed to be prepared with all marshalers waiting for us in position giving the 'all clear' signal. As I approached the tug, I slowed the aircraft to a crawl even though the light bar still indicated green. Considering the light system may have failed, as it had on me approximately 2 yrs ago at a different airport, (from yellow to red then, but without incident), I slowed even further to a near stop while still under a green and glanced down at the light operator. He looked back up at me, seeing my concern and indicated everything was fine by nodding his head and continuing to illuminate the green light. Since he easily had the best vantage point and indicated that clearance was ok, I added very minimal power to creep slowly forward while still riding the brakes lightly for the quickest stop when directed. A few seconds later, he illuminated only the yellow light, immediately followed by a slight glass braking noise below the aircraft nose! I immediately stopped my aircraft's slight forward motion within a few inches and suspecting a slight contact had occurred, I set the parking brake with the yellow light still illuminated! I looked back again to the light operator who was puzzled as to why I stopped early and would question him again until he looked at the front of the tug more closely. His expression was obviously surprise when he saw that the front extended mirror of the tug and the aircraft nose radome had touched. He then illuminated the red light! The gate agent was still able to pros the jetway and deplane my passenger normally with no delays. The contact was so slight that nobody onboard the aircraft including the flight attendants, even suspected that the aircraft had come in contact with the tug's mirror. But had I fully trusted and not doubted the operator's green light indications that close to ground equipment, the incident would very likely have resulted in greater collision damage and possible injury of passenger, crew or ground personnel. Consequently the only damage that I observed from the ramp was the tug's broken glass mirror (not even the 2 long mirror support brackets were even bent), but the aircraft radome did receive 1 small crack approximately 3 inches by 3 inches on the underside. Essentially the aircraft nose gear was approximately 12-18 inches still short of the B727 line. The lead on that ground crew informed me that someone must have positioned the tug too far forward and no one caught it. The light operator quickly left the scene to unload luggage. I called the lax chief pilot from the jetway who arrived within mins and documented with photos the minimal damage and the aircraft nose gear position short of the B727 line. I and my first officer briefed chief pilot verbally and all 3 pilot crew members submitted a short written account of the incident as he had requested. On a side note, I recently had to stop my aircraft early again during the parking process due to a lack of a wing marshaler this time at lga, even though I was receiving the all-clear signal from the nose and left wing marshalers. Overall I've seen a noticeable decline in discipline and adherence to procedure from ramp personnel over the yrs as incidents similar to these occur more frequently.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B727 UNDER THE CTL OF COMPANY GND PERSONNEL FOR GUIDANCE TO PARKING STRIKES A TUG CAUSING MINIMAL DAMAGE TO TUG AND ACFT. THE RPTR NOTES A GENERAL DECLINE IN ADHERENCE TO PROCS AND GENERAL DISCIPLINE.

Narrative: THE GATE AREA SEEMED TO BE PREPARED WITH ALL MARSHALERS WAITING FOR US IN POS GIVING THE 'ALL CLR' SIGNAL. AS I APCHED THE TUG, I SLOWED THE ACFT TO A CRAWL EVEN THOUGH THE LIGHT BAR STILL INDICATED GREEN. CONSIDERING THE LIGHT SYS MAY HAVE FAILED, AS IT HAD ON ME APPROX 2 YRS AGO AT A DIFFERENT ARPT, (FROM YELLOW TO RED THEN, BUT WITHOUT INCIDENT), I SLOWED EVEN FURTHER TO A NEAR STOP WHILE STILL UNDER A GREEN AND GLANCED DOWN AT THE LIGHT OPERATOR. HE LOOKED BACK UP AT ME, SEEING MY CONCERN AND INDICATED EVERYTHING WAS FINE BY NODDING HIS HEAD AND CONTINUING TO ILLUMINATE THE GREEN LIGHT. SINCE HE EASILY HAD THE BEST VANTAGE POINT AND INDICATED THAT CLRNC WAS OK, I ADDED VERY MINIMAL PWR TO CREEP SLOWLY FORWARD WHILE STILL RIDING THE BRAKES LIGHTLY FOR THE QUICKEST STOP WHEN DIRECTED. A FEW SECONDS LATER, HE ILLUMINATED ONLY THE YELLOW LIGHT, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A SLIGHT GLASS BRAKING NOISE BELOW THE ACFT NOSE! I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED MY ACFT'S SLIGHT FORWARD MOTION WITHIN A FEW INCHES AND SUSPECTING A SLIGHT CONTACT HAD OCCURRED, I SET THE PARKING BRAKE WITH THE YELLOW LIGHT STILL ILLUMINATED! I LOOKED BACK AGAIN TO THE LIGHT OPERATOR WHO WAS PUZZLED AS TO WHY I STOPPED EARLY AND WOULD QUESTION HIM AGAIN UNTIL HE LOOKED AT THE FRONT OF THE TUG MORE CLOSELY. HIS EXPRESSION WAS OBVIOUSLY SURPRISE WHEN HE SAW THAT THE FRONT EXTENDED MIRROR OF THE TUG AND THE ACFT NOSE RADOME HAD TOUCHED. HE THEN ILLUMINATED THE RED LIGHT! THE GATE AGENT WAS STILL ABLE TO PROS THE JETWAY AND DEPLANE MY PAX NORMALLY WITH NO DELAYS. THE CONTACT WAS SO SLIGHT THAT NOBODY ONBOARD THE ACFT INCLUDING THE FLT ATTENDANTS, EVEN SUSPECTED THAT THE ACFT HAD COME IN CONTACT WITH THE TUG'S MIRROR. BUT HAD I FULLY TRUSTED AND NOT DOUBTED THE OPERATOR'S GREEN LIGHT INDICATIONS THAT CLOSE TO GND EQUIP, THE INCIDENT WOULD VERY LIKELY HAVE RESULTED IN GREATER COLLISION DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE INJURY OF PAX, CREW OR GND PERSONNEL. CONSEQUENTLY THE ONLY DAMAGE THAT I OBSERVED FROM THE RAMP WAS THE TUG'S BROKEN GLASS MIRROR (NOT EVEN THE 2 LONG MIRROR SUPPORT BRACKETS WERE EVEN BENT), BUT THE ACFT RADOME DID RECEIVE 1 SMALL CRACK APPROX 3 INCHES BY 3 INCHES ON THE UNDERSIDE. ESSENTIALLY THE ACFT NOSE GEAR WAS APPROX 12-18 INCHES STILL SHORT OF THE B727 LINE. THE LEAD ON THAT GND CREW INFORMED ME THAT SOMEONE MUST HAVE POSITIONED THE TUG TOO FAR FORWARD AND NO ONE CAUGHT IT. THE LIGHT OPERATOR QUICKLY LEFT THE SCENE TO UNLOAD LUGGAGE. I CALLED THE LAX CHIEF PLT FROM THE JETWAY WHO ARRIVED WITHIN MINS AND DOCUMENTED WITH PHOTOS THE MINIMAL DAMAGE AND THE ACFT NOSE GEAR POS SHORT OF THE B727 LINE. I AND MY FO BRIEFED CHIEF PLT VERBALLY AND ALL 3 PLT CREW MEMBERS SUBMITTED A SHORT WRITTEN ACCOUNT OF THE INCIDENT AS HE HAD REQUESTED. ON A SIDE NOTE, I RECENTLY HAD TO STOP MY ACFT EARLY AGAIN DURING THE PARKING PROCESS DUE TO A LACK OF A WING MARSHALER THIS TIME AT LGA, EVEN THOUGH I WAS RECEIVING THE ALL-CLR SIGNAL FROM THE NOSE AND L WING MARSHALERS. OVERALL I'VE SEEN A NOTICEABLE DECLINE IN DISCIPLINE AND ADHERENCE TO PROC FROM RAMP PERSONNEL OVER THE YRS AS INCIDENTS SIMILAR TO THESE OCCUR MORE FREQUENTLY.

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.