Narrative:

Arrived on charter with passenger connecting home. Directed to jetway gate by hand signals from ground marshall. Ground marshall brought wands together but never crossed them indicating to stop. We moved about 2 ft further and decided that no stop sign (wands crossed) was going to be given; so we stopped. Left engine top cowl contacted a flood lamp attached to the underside of jetway causing the flood lamp to scrape across top of engine cowl and breaking lamp lens and bulb. Pieces of the lamp were ingested into the running engine causing unknown damage. The jetway was maneuvered off the engine and after much difficulty (as we discovered later due to faulty limit switches; see below) was finally brought up to the main cabin door so that the passenger could disembark. Upon talking to the charter coordinator who was on site and the ground crew we discovered: 1) employees were sent to ZZZ the day before as there were similar ground handling and jetway problems with the charter flight that took the passenger a week prior. 2) air carrier employee was operating the jetway as the limit switches were faulty and much trouble was encountered moving the jetway into position prior to our arrival. Obviously; a huge contributing event. 3) the charter ground crew explained that their hand signal 'stop sign' was to bring the wands together and not cross them. Crossing the wands indicated 'panic stop.' we never received their panic stop signal even though at the time the jetway was contacting the left engine cowl and we had clearly passed the chocks placed to the side of the nosewheel centerline as a point for the marshaller to stop the airplane.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A319'S L ENG COWL STRUCK A JETWAY AFTER THE MARSHALLER GAVE THE CAPT AN UNFAMILIAR STOP SIGNAL AND THE CAPT CONTINUED TAXIING.

Narrative: ARRIVED ON CHARTER WITH PAX CONNECTING HOME. DIRECTED TO JETWAY GATE BY HAND SIGNALS FROM GND MARSHALL. GND MARSHALL BROUGHT WANDS TOGETHER BUT NEVER CROSSED THEM INDICATING TO STOP. WE MOVED ABOUT 2 FT FURTHER AND DECIDED THAT NO STOP SIGN (WANDS CROSSED) WAS GOING TO BE GIVEN; SO WE STOPPED. L ENG TOP COWL CONTACTED A FLOOD LAMP ATTACHED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF JETWAY CAUSING THE FLOOD LAMP TO SCRAPE ACROSS TOP OF ENG COWL AND BREAKING LAMP LENS AND BULB. PIECES OF THE LAMP WERE INGESTED INTO THE RUNNING ENG CAUSING UNKNOWN DAMAGE. THE JETWAY WAS MANEUVERED OFF THE ENG AND AFTER MUCH DIFFICULTY (AS WE DISCOVERED LATER DUE TO FAULTY LIMIT SWITCHES; SEE BELOW) WAS FINALLY BROUGHT UP TO THE MAIN CABIN DOOR SO THAT THE PAX COULD DISEMBARK. UPON TALKING TO THE CHARTER COORDINATOR WHO WAS ON SITE AND THE GND CREW WE DISCOVERED: 1) EMPLOYEES WERE SENT TO ZZZ THE DAY BEFORE AS THERE WERE SIMILAR GND HANDLING AND JETWAY PROBS WITH THE CHARTER FLT THAT TOOK THE PAX A WK PRIOR. 2) ACR EMPLOYEE WAS OPERATING THE JETWAY AS THE LIMIT SWITCHES WERE FAULTY AND MUCH TROUBLE WAS ENCOUNTERED MOVING THE JETWAY INTO POS PRIOR TO OUR ARR. OBVIOUSLY; A HUGE CONTRIBUTING EVENT. 3) THE CHARTER GND CREW EXPLAINED THAT THEIR HAND SIGNAL 'STOP SIGN' WAS TO BRING THE WANDS TOGETHER AND NOT CROSS THEM. XING THE WANDS INDICATED 'PANIC STOP.' WE NEVER RECEIVED THEIR PANIC STOP SIGNAL EVEN THOUGH AT THE TIME THE JETWAY WAS CONTACTING THE L ENG COWL AND WE HAD CLRLY PASSED THE CHOCKS PLACED TO THE SIDE OF THE NOSEWHEEL CTRLINE AS A POINT FOR THE MARSHALLER TO STOP THE AIRPLANE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.