Narrative:

As I parked the aircraft on the yellow lead-in centerline, I followed the hand signals from the ramp agent who was parking us at gate. Both the first officer and myself cleared that the safety zone was clear to enter. During the last 2 ft of parking, we felt something like a brake dragging. During this last 2 ft of parking, the ramp agent never told or gave hand signals to stop the aircraft. After we completed the checklists, I entered the jetway to greet the deplaning passenger. At this time, an operations agent came up the jetway stairs and asked me if I knew we had struck the fuel truck with the left wing. I said no, and that the agent who parked us brought us all the way in and never gave any hand signals to stop the aircraft at any time. On observation outside, I first looked to see if he parked me on the yellow centerline, which he had. I then checked to verify that the fuel truck was outside the safety zone lines, which he was. I said to the operations agent this should not have happened. She then informed me that we had taken over this gate from another airline, and that the yellow line was new, and had just recently been repainted and moved over to the left by 3-5 ft, but the safety zone lines had not been repositioned as of yet, therefore, the fuel truck was 3-5 ft closer to the proper position. I was then told by a ramp supervisor that this was to be accomplished by the airport authority/authorized. He then informed me that all their ground people were aware of this situation and that the person who parked me on the centerline should not have instructed me to enter the safety zone. In closing, I would like to say that the ctrlines of any gate should not be repositioned unless the whole safety zone is repositioned at the same time. Supplemental information from acn 563598: the captain turned in slowly on the lead-in line to the gate. I cleared the safety zone on the right side of the aircraft and noted nothing looked out of the ordinary on the left side. The captain followed the directions of the marshaler all the way in to the full stop. After further inspection of the lead-in and safety zone lines, we discovered a new lead-in line was painted over the old lead-in line. However, the safety zone lines were not repainted with respect to the new lead-in line. The future safety zone line was sketched with a dashed white paint line, which the fuel truck was completely inside of.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WINGTIP STRIKE BY A B737-300 FLT ON A FUEL TRUCK THAT WAS PARKED INSIDE THE SAFETY ZONE. THOSE LINES WERE TEMPORARY AND NOT STANDARDIZED AS YET BY THE CITY AT SJC, CA.

Narrative: AS I PARKED THE ACFT ON THE YELLOW LEAD-IN CTRLINE, I FOLLOWED THE HAND SIGNALS FROM THE RAMP AGENT WHO WAS PARKING US AT GATE. BOTH THE FO AND MYSELF CLRED THAT THE SAFETY ZONE WAS CLR TO ENTER. DURING THE LAST 2 FT OF PARKING, WE FELT SOMETHING LIKE A BRAKE DRAGGING. DURING THIS LAST 2 FT OF PARKING, THE RAMP AGENT NEVER TOLD OR GAVE HAND SIGNALS TO STOP THE ACFT. AFTER WE COMPLETED THE CHKLISTS, I ENTERED THE JETWAY TO GREET THE DEPLANING PAX. AT THIS TIME, AN OPS AGENT CAME UP THE JETWAY STAIRS AND ASKED ME IF I KNEW WE HAD STRUCK THE FUEL TRUCK WITH THE L WING. I SAID NO, AND THAT THE AGENT WHO PARKED US BROUGHT US ALL THE WAY IN AND NEVER GAVE ANY HAND SIGNALS TO STOP THE ACFT AT ANY TIME. ON OBSERVATION OUTSIDE, I FIRST LOOKED TO SEE IF HE PARKED ME ON THE YELLOW CTRLINE, WHICH HE HAD. I THEN CHKED TO VERIFY THAT THE FUEL TRUCK WAS OUTSIDE THE SAFETY ZONE LINES, WHICH HE WAS. I SAID TO THE OPS AGENT THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. SHE THEN INFORMED ME THAT WE HAD TAKEN OVER THIS GATE FROM ANOTHER AIRLINE, AND THAT THE YELLOW LINE WAS NEW, AND HAD JUST RECENTLY BEEN REPAINTED AND MOVED OVER TO THE L BY 3-5 FT, BUT THE SAFETY ZONE LINES HAD NOT BEEN REPOSITIONED AS OF YET, THEREFORE, THE FUEL TRUCK WAS 3-5 FT CLOSER TO THE PROPER POS. I WAS THEN TOLD BY A RAMP SUPVR THAT THIS WAS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED BY THE ARPT AUTH. HE THEN INFORMED ME THAT ALL THEIR GND PEOPLE WERE AWARE OF THIS SIT AND THAT THE PERSON WHO PARKED ME ON THE CTRLINE SHOULD NOT HAVE INSTRUCTED ME TO ENTER THE SAFETY ZONE. IN CLOSING, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT THE CTRLINES OF ANY GATE SHOULD NOT BE REPOSITIONED UNLESS THE WHOLE SAFETY ZONE IS REPOSITIONED AT THE SAME TIME. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 563598: THE CAPT TURNED IN SLOWLY ON THE LEAD-IN LINE TO THE GATE. I CLRED THE SAFETY ZONE ON THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT AND NOTED NOTHING LOOKED OUT OF THE ORDINARY ON THE L SIDE. THE CAPT FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS OF THE MARSHALER ALL THE WAY IN TO THE FULL STOP. AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE LEAD-IN AND SAFETY ZONE LINES, WE DISCOVERED A NEW LEAD-IN LINE WAS PAINTED OVER THE OLD LEAD-IN LINE. HOWEVER, THE SAFETY ZONE LINES WERE NOT REPAINTED WITH RESPECT TO THE NEW LEAD-IN LINE. THE FUTURE SAFETY ZONE LINE WAS SKETCHED WITH A DASHED WHITE PAINT LINE, WHICH THE FUEL TRUCK WAS COMPLETELY INSIDE OF.

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.