Narrative:

We were departing gate X. Everything was done and we were ready to push off the gate. I called ground for push clearance and was told we were cleared to push after our company arrived at gate Y. The captain repeated the instructions to the tug driver and asked if we could start #2. The tug driver cleared us on two and began to push us back. The captain told him to hold push for gate Y arrival. He stopped after pushing us 20-30 ft. The captain asked if we were ok there for the company to get into gate Y. I told him I couldn't tell but we appeared to be still in our safety zone and that there was a wing walker standing right under our wing watching for the arriving aircraft. Nothing else was said and then out of the corner of my eye I saw the company aircraft coming to a hard stop shy of the jetway. I never felt anything or heard anything to indicate the 2 aircraft ever hit. I saw the wing walker running up holding his wands in the stop position at this time. The wingtip of that aircraft was well past our wingtip and there was no visual damage of any kind from my point of view. Our aircraft never moved 1 ft during the entire incident. The wing walker never left his position at anytime and was right under our wing with a perfect view of the arriving gate Y aircraft. I am not sure if he just didnT see it correctly or looked away or whatever but there was really nothing the crews for either aircraft could had done different. We trust those guys and when they are right there in position; they tend to have a 10 times better view of it than us. The captain went out and talked to maintenance who inspected our aircraft and didn't find a single trace of evidence that there was contact with the other aircraft nor was there any damage from the wing root inspection. They did find a small dent on the winglet of the other aircraft. I find it hard to imagine that 2 winglets could hit and one have damage and the other not have a hint of contact. Like I said; I didn't feel or see anything to make me think we had contact with the other aircraft. I don't think there is anything that we or the other crew could have done different. The wing walker was in perfect position and looked to be doing an excellent job. We have to trust them when we have such bad angles from the cockpit trying to judge if we are clear or not. It is really hard to say what went wrong when the guy was right there in perfect position like he was this morning. If he thought it was even close; he could have had us pulled back up but he never made any indication that it was even close. I just honestly don't think either crew could have done anything to change the outcome. I don't think either crew did anything wrong. I think the wing walker just missed it. Everyone makes mistakes and I think that is just what happened. He felt terrible and my heart goes out to him but I think it was just an honest mistake. Supplemental information from acn 796020: taxiing into gate; I entered the alley on the south side as assigned by ground control; due to an aircraft taxiing out on the north. As I cleared that aircraft I maneuvered my aircraft over to the north side run-in line for gate Y. An aircraft was on gate X waiting for me to taxi in so they could push. My first officer and I cleared the safety zone and followed the marshallers signals onto the j-line. I could see I was going to be close to the other aircraft's winglet (my side); but had a wing walker directly under both wingtips (my left side) giving me an ok signal; and I still had the marshaller waving me in. As I got closer to the other aircraft; I felt like I was not going to clear his winglet and brought the aircraft to an abrupt stop. As my aircraft stopped; the front of my winglet contacted the back of the other aircraft's winglet. It was at this time I noticed that the other aircraft had actually begun its pushback (prior to my turning into the safety zone) and was a good 20 ft back from the gate. I noticed because it was now being pulled forward back into the safety zone. At the time I was being marshalled into the gate I was not aware nor could I see that the other aircraft was not full forward in its own safety zone. I believe we can improve our operations; with respect to communication and awareness between parking spot ramp personnel. Awareness of the lack of wingtip clearance if an aircraft is not full forward in its parking spot by adjacent ground personnel is a must. Also; better awareness on the part of wingtip walkers to communicate clearly with all personnel involved. I got that 'this isn't quite right' feeling just a second too late; not because I was rushing or complacent but having seen how the safety zone lines intersect as they are extended out; I was under the impression that it would be close. I trusted the marshaller and wingtip walker to guide me in; but feel like I could have stopped sooner to re-evaluate the situation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 FLT CREWS REPORT WINGLET CONTACT WITH ADJACENT ACFT DURING TAXI INTO GATE WITH WING WALKER AND MARSHALL IN PLACE.

Narrative: WE WERE DEPARTING GATE X. EVERYTHING WAS DONE AND WE WERE READY TO PUSH OFF THE GATE. I CALLED GND FOR PUSH CLRNC AND WAS TOLD WE WERE CLRED TO PUSH AFTER OUR COMPANY ARRIVED AT GATE Y. THE CAPT REPEATED THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE TUG DRIVER AND ASKED IF WE COULD START #2. THE TUG DRIVER CLRED US ON TWO AND BEGAN TO PUSH US BACK. THE CAPT TOLD HIM TO HOLD PUSH FOR GATE Y ARR. HE STOPPED AFTER PUSHING US 20-30 FT. THE CAPT ASKED IF WE WERE OK THERE FOR THE COMPANY TO GET INTO GATE Y. I TOLD HIM I COULDN'T TELL BUT WE APPEARED TO BE STILL IN OUR SAFETY ZONE AND THAT THERE WAS A WING WALKER STANDING RIGHT UNDER OUR WING WATCHING FOR THE ARRIVING ACFT. NOTHING ELSE WAS SAID AND THEN OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE I SAW THE COMPANY ACFT COMING TO A HARD STOP SHY OF THE JETWAY. I NEVER FELT ANYTHING OR HEARD ANYTHING TO INDICATE THE 2 ACFT EVER HIT. I SAW THE WING WALKER RUNNING UP HOLDING HIS WANDS IN THE STOP POS AT THIS TIME. THE WINGTIP OF THAT ACFT WAS WELL PAST OUR WINGTIP AND THERE WAS NO VISUAL DAMAGE OF ANY KIND FROM MY POINT OF VIEW. OUR ACFT NEVER MOVED 1 FT DURING THE ENTIRE INCIDENT. THE WING WALKER NEVER LEFT HIS POS AT ANYTIME AND WAS RIGHT UNDER OUR WING WITH A PERFECT VIEW OF THE ARRIVING GATE Y ACFT. I AM NOT SURE IF HE JUST DIDNT SEE IT CORRECTLY OR LOOKED AWAY OR WHATEVER BUT THERE WAS REALLY NOTHING THE CREWS FOR EITHER ACFT COULD HAD DONE DIFFERENT. WE TRUST THOSE GUYS AND WHEN THEY ARE RIGHT THERE IN POS; THEY TEND TO HAVE A 10 TIMES BETTER VIEW OF IT THAN US. THE CAPT WENT OUT AND TALKED TO MAINT WHO INSPECTED OUR ACFT AND DIDN'T FIND A SINGLE TRACE OF EVIDENCE THAT THERE WAS CONTACT WITH THE OTHER ACFT NOR WAS THERE ANY DAMAGE FROM THE WING ROOT INSPECTION. THEY DID FIND A SMALL DENT ON THE WINGLET OF THE OTHER ACFT. I FIND IT HARD TO IMAGINE THAT 2 WINGLETS COULD HIT AND ONE HAVE DAMAGE AND THE OTHER NOT HAVE A HINT OF CONTACT. LIKE I SAID; I DIDN'T FEEL OR SEE ANYTHING TO MAKE ME THINK WE HAD CONTACT WITH THE OTHER ACFT. I DON'T THINK THERE IS ANYTHING THAT WE OR THE OTHER CREW COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENT. THE WING WALKER WAS IN PERFECT POS AND LOOKED TO BE DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB. WE HAVE TO TRUST THEM WHEN WE HAVE SUCH BAD ANGLES FROM THE COCKPIT TRYING TO JUDGE IF WE ARE CLR OR NOT. IT IS REALLY HARD TO SAY WHAT WENT WRONG WHEN THE GUY WAS RIGHT THERE IN PERFECT POS LIKE HE WAS THIS MORNING. IF HE THOUGHT IT WAS EVEN CLOSE; HE COULD HAVE HAD US PULLED BACK UP BUT HE NEVER MADE ANY INDICATION THAT IT WAS EVEN CLOSE. I JUST HONESTLY DON'T THINK EITHER CREW COULD HAVE DONE ANYTHING TO CHANGE THE OUTCOME. I DON'T THINK EITHER CREW DID ANYTHING WRONG. I THINK THE WING WALKER JUST MISSED IT. EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES AND I THINK THAT IS JUST WHAT HAPPENED. HE FELT TERRIBLE AND MY HEART GOES OUT TO HIM BUT I THINK IT WAS JUST AN HONEST MISTAKE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 796020: TAXIING INTO GATE; I ENTERED THE ALLEY ON THE S SIDE AS ASSIGNED BY GND CTL; DUE TO AN ACFT TAXIING OUT ON THE N. AS I CLRED THAT ACFT I MANEUVERED MY ACFT OVER TO THE N SIDE RUN-IN LINE FOR GATE Y. AN ACFT WAS ON GATE X WAITING FOR ME TO TAXI IN SO THEY COULD PUSH. MY FO AND I CLRED THE SAFETY ZONE AND FOLLOWED THE MARSHALLERS SIGNALS ONTO THE J-LINE. I COULD SEE I WAS GOING TO BE CLOSE TO THE OTHER ACFT'S WINGLET (MY SIDE); BUT HAD A WING WALKER DIRECTLY UNDER BOTH WINGTIPS (MY L SIDE) GIVING ME AN OK SIGNAL; AND I STILL HAD THE MARSHALLER WAVING ME IN. AS I GOT CLOSER TO THE OTHER ACFT; I FELT LIKE I WAS NOT GOING TO CLR HIS WINGLET AND BROUGHT THE ACFT TO AN ABRUPT STOP. AS MY ACFT STOPPED; THE FRONT OF MY WINGLET CONTACTED THE BACK OF THE OTHER ACFT'S WINGLET. IT WAS AT THIS TIME I NOTICED THAT THE OTHER ACFT HAD ACTUALLY BEGUN ITS PUSHBACK (PRIOR TO MY TURNING INTO THE SAFETY ZONE) AND WAS A GOOD 20 FT BACK FROM THE GATE. I NOTICED BECAUSE IT WAS NOW BEING PULLED FORWARD BACK INTO THE SAFETY ZONE. AT THE TIME I WAS BEING MARSHALLED INTO THE GATE I WAS NOT AWARE NOR COULD I SEE THAT THE OTHER ACFT WAS NOT FULL FORWARD IN ITS OWN SAFETY ZONE. I BELIEVE WE CAN IMPROVE OUR OPS; WITH RESPECT TO COM AND AWARENESS BTWN PARKING SPOT RAMP PERSONNEL. AWARENESS OF THE LACK OF WINGTIP CLRNC IF AN ACFT IS NOT FULL FORWARD IN ITS PARKING SPOT BY ADJACENT GND PERSONNEL IS A MUST. ALSO; BETTER AWARENESS ON THE PART OF WINGTIP WALKERS TO COMMUNICATE CLRLY WITH ALL PERSONNEL INVOLVED. I GOT THAT 'THIS ISN'T QUITE RIGHT' FEELING JUST A SECOND TOO LATE; NOT BECAUSE I WAS RUSHING OR COMPLACENT BUT HAVING SEEN HOW THE SAFETY ZONE LINES INTERSECT AS THEY ARE EXTENDED OUT; I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT IT WOULD BE CLOSE. I TRUSTED THE MARSHALLER AND WINGTIP WALKER TO GUIDE ME IN; BUT FEEL LIKE I COULD HAVE STOPPED SOONER TO RE-EVAL THE SIT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.