Narrative:

Sea ramp cleared us to taxi to the gate. Turned the corner and a plane was pushing out of gate. The right wing walker saw us and gave the stop command to the driver; so I continued to the gate. The wing walker then ran back out on the wing holding the stop signal in one hand. The tug then sped up. I saw they were going to push the aircraft right into us. I started to pull the aircraft to the left in to gate thinking he would slow down. He did not. I then started a hard left turn. Realizing that my right wing would hit his tail; I stopped the aircraft and was praying he would stop. My first officer yelled on ground control to stop! Ground control stopped the aircraft 30 ft from nose and right wing. Called ramp control on the phone. They said they advised pushing aircraft that we were coming and going to the gate. The right wing walker should have not come back on the wing and really gotten the diver's attention. We did not ever hear the communication of ramp control and the push aircraft until we yelled stop. The gate sign is also back by gate lines; and maybe the driver thought I was at the gate. When the aircraft stopped; I was pinned and could not move without hitting the aircraft! Better driver and wing walker communication. Supplemental information from acn 703837: after contacting sea ramp control and receiving clearance to push; we contacted the ground crew and began the pushback from gate. No communication was given for us to reference company aircraft and to use caution during the pushback. During the pushback abeam gates; ramp control queried us as to how far we were going to push as company aircraft behind us was trying to get to their gate (exact gate was not specified). Before we could advise the ground crew we heard 'stop' transmitted on ramp frequency. We did not know if the command was coming from ramp control or company aircraft behind us. We communicated to the ground crew to stop the push. Ramp control asked us to have the ground crew pull us forward of our position; but we informed them that the ground crew was not qualified to tow; so brakes were set; tug disconnected and we taxied out under aircraft power. Prior to disconnect we asked the lead/driver on headset if he had seen the company aircraft behind us during the push and he said he did not until we told him to stop. Communication with company aircraft after the fact revealed that we stopped approximately 30 ft short of impacting their aircraft and that they started to maneuver their aircraft to their left to avoid contact with our aircraft. They also mentioned that they witnessed one of our wing walkers trying to signal our lead/tug driver to stop; but the pushback continued as he did not observe the wing walker. This push came within 30 ft of being a potentially serious ground incident. Ramp control could have issued a caution on push to reference company which is normally done if a conflict is anticipated. Our push distance in the alley was normal. Our pushback lead or tug diver should have been more observant of the entire push area and operation which would have allowed him to either see the aircraft behind us or at least observe the wing walker's signal.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A SEA GATE CTLR CLRED ONE ACFT INTO ITS GATE AND ANOTHER ACFT TO PUSH INTO THE ALLEY CREATING A CONFLICT. A WING WALKER SAW THE CONFLICT AND SIGNALED A STOP COMMAND THAT THE TUG DRIVER MISSED.

Narrative: SEA RAMP CLRED US TO TAXI TO THE GATE. TURNED THE CORNER AND A PLANE WAS PUSHING OUT OF GATE. THE R WING WALKER SAW US AND GAVE THE STOP COMMAND TO THE DRIVER; SO I CONTINUED TO THE GATE. THE WING WALKER THEN RAN BACK OUT ON THE WING HOLDING THE STOP SIGNAL IN ONE HAND. THE TUG THEN SPED UP. I SAW THEY WERE GOING TO PUSH THE ACFT RIGHT INTO US. I STARTED TO PULL THE ACFT TO THE L IN TO GATE THINKING HE WOULD SLOW DOWN. HE DID NOT. I THEN STARTED A HARD L TURN. REALIZING THAT MY R WING WOULD HIT HIS TAIL; I STOPPED THE ACFT AND WAS PRAYING HE WOULD STOP. MY FO YELLED ON GND CTL TO STOP! GND CTL STOPPED THE ACFT 30 FT FROM NOSE AND R WING. CALLED RAMP CTL ON THE PHONE. THEY SAID THEY ADVISED PUSHING ACFT THAT WE WERE COMING AND GOING TO THE GATE. THE R WING WALKER SHOULD HAVE NOT COME BACK ON THE WING AND REALLY GOTTEN THE DIVER'S ATTN. WE DID NOT EVER HEAR THE COM OF RAMP CTL AND THE PUSH ACFT UNTIL WE YELLED STOP. THE GATE SIGN IS ALSO BACK BY GATE LINES; AND MAYBE THE DRIVER THOUGHT I WAS AT THE GATE. WHEN THE ACFT STOPPED; I WAS PINNED AND COULD NOT MOVE WITHOUT HITTING THE ACFT! BETTER DRIVER AND WING WALKER COM. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 703837: AFTER CONTACTING SEA RAMP CTL AND RECEIVING CLRNC TO PUSH; WE CONTACTED THE GND CREW AND BEGAN THE PUSHBACK FROM GATE. NO COM WAS GIVEN FOR US TO REF COMPANY ACFT AND TO USE CAUTION DURING THE PUSHBACK. DURING THE PUSHBACK ABEAM GATES; RAMP CTL QUERIED US AS TO HOW FAR WE WERE GOING TO PUSH AS COMPANY ACFT BEHIND US WAS TRYING TO GET TO THEIR GATE (EXACT GATE WAS NOT SPECIFIED). BEFORE WE COULD ADVISE THE GND CREW WE HEARD 'STOP' XMITTED ON RAMP FREQ. WE DID NOT KNOW IF THE COMMAND WAS COMING FROM RAMP CTL OR COMPANY ACFT BEHIND US. WE COMMUNICATED TO THE GND CREW TO STOP THE PUSH. RAMP CTL ASKED US TO HAVE THE GND CREW PULL US FORWARD OF OUR POS; BUT WE INFORMED THEM THAT THE GND CREW WAS NOT QUALIFIED TO TOW; SO BRAKES WERE SET; TUG DISCONNECTED AND WE TAXIED OUT UNDER ACFT PWR. PRIOR TO DISCONNECT WE ASKED THE LEAD/DRIVER ON HEADSET IF HE HAD SEEN THE COMPANY ACFT BEHIND US DURING THE PUSH AND HE SAID HE DID NOT UNTIL WE TOLD HIM TO STOP. COM WITH COMPANY ACFT AFTER THE FACT REVEALED THAT WE STOPPED APPROX 30 FT SHORT OF IMPACTING THEIR ACFT AND THAT THEY STARTED TO MANEUVER THEIR ACFT TO THEIR L TO AVOID CONTACT WITH OUR ACFT. THEY ALSO MENTIONED THAT THEY WITNESSED ONE OF OUR WING WALKERS TRYING TO SIGNAL OUR LEAD/TUG DRIVER TO STOP; BUT THE PUSHBACK CONTINUED AS HE DID NOT OBSERVE THE WING WALKER. THIS PUSH CAME WITHIN 30 FT OF BEING A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS GND INCIDENT. RAMP CTL COULD HAVE ISSUED A CAUTION ON PUSH TO REF COMPANY WHICH IS NORMALLY DONE IF A CONFLICT IS ANTICIPATED. OUR PUSH DISTANCE IN THE ALLEY WAS NORMAL. OUR PUSHBACK LEAD OR TUG DIVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE OBSERVANT OF THE ENTIRE PUSH AREA AND OP WHICH WOULD HAVE ALLOWED HIM TO EITHER SEE THE ACFT BEHIND US OR AT LEAST OBSERVE THE WING WALKER'S SIGNAL.

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.