Date: 201512
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: ORD.Airport, IL
Flight conditions: Marginal
Weather elements / visibility: Snow
Light: Night
Aircraft: MD-83
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Taxi
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Captain; Pilot Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Second reporter function: Pilot Not Flying; First Officer
Anomaly: Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Other / Unknown; Ground Event / Encounter Vehicle
Detector: Person Passenger
When detected: Taxi
Result: Aircraft Aircraft Damaged
Contributing factors: Human Factors; Weather
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: During gate arrival into ORD at night during inclement weather; using two wing monitors with lighted wands and an active and functional DGS; the left wing contacted the rear of a deicing vehicle.The landing runway condition was reported as braking action poor with six to nine inches of ice pellets; snow and slush covered all ramps and taxiways. Most taxiway painted lines were not visible. After waiting for an open gate; I taxied from the 28R pad to the gate alley. During this taxi I noted a significant amount of ground contamination with ruts; slippery surfaces; the need for slightly above average power to taxi and slightly reduced steering effectiveness. These conditions warranted an extremely slow taxi speed which I executed. Only small lengths of taxiway and ramp painted lines were occasionally visible. I used the main landing gear tire tracks of the aircraft that had pushed back as a guide to align with the run-in line. Approximately four aircraft lengths from the gate I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake because the DGS displayed WAIT; and a ground marshal at the gate was displaying the stop signal with lighted wands. The delay was due to an aircraft on both the left; and right of the gate having a deice vehicle near the tail of each aircraft. After a several minutes (six?) the DGS became active showing the come ahead display and a wing monitor with lighted wands was stationed at both the left and right wing tips--- and both were displaying the signal for clear. There was a marshal at the front of the aircraft as well with his wands deactivated; I am unsure of his exact position relative to the gate and run-in line. As we moved forward; the First Officer (FO) and I repeatedly told each other that our respective wing monitors were still displaying the clear/continue signal. As we slowly moved forward and began to lose sight of the wing monitors; the FO opened his side window and looked aft to his monitor and confirmed the clear signal. As I lost sight of my monitor I transitioned to the partially visible run-in line and the DGS which was displaying the normal indications to come forward. I could see the run-in line and the DGS showing me as centered as we approached the jet bridge. A couple of seconds later the aircraft nose slid to the left and we came to an abrupt stop. I set the parking brake. After my taxi experience from the 28R pad; I first thought I had slid into a rut or had a nose wheel steering issue. I signaled a ground crew member below the left of the nose to come here; slid open my window and yelled that my Nose Wheel Steering (NWS) had malfunctioned. He and the nose marshal moved out of sight near the nose and left wing. One of them reappeared and moved to the front and began to give me the signal to come forward. I released the brakes; added power and the aircraft did not move. I set the parking brake and signaled to them that I could not move. The nose marshal then moved out of sight on the left side of the fuselage. This time I thought that perhaps they noticed a chock buried under the snow that I had ran into. He reappeared and moved to the front of the nose; again signaling me to move ahead. I released the brake and added power; the aircraft did not move. I set the parking brake.In the ensuing minutes we received calls from the Flight Attendants (FA) that passengers were reporting the wing had hit a truck; which turned out to be true. The left wing tip; approximately three to four feet in from the tip; impacted the ladder and left rear corner of the rear of a deicing truck. After an inspection by various entities; a tug and ground communication cord were attached to the aircraft and I asked for permission to shut down the left engine. The tug eventually pushed us back fifty feet or so; the deicing truck was moved; and we were towed to the gate.


Second narrative: Approximately four aircraft lengths from the gate the Captain stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake because the DGS displayed WAIT; and a ground marshal at the gate was displaying the stop signal with lighted wands. The delay was due to an aircraft on both the left and right of the gate having a deice vehicle near the tail of each aircraft. After several minutes the DGS became active showing the come ahead display and a wing monitor with lighted wands was stationed at both the left and right wing tips - and both were displaying the signal for clear. There was a marshal at the front of the aircraft as well with his wands deactivated. As we moved forward; I was primarily focused on the area from our nose to our right; particularly the marshal who was watching our wingtip and was giving the all clear signal. As we slowly moved forward and began to lose sight of the wing monitors; I opened my side window and looked aft to the marshal on the right wing and confirmed the clear signal. A couple of seconds later the aircraft nose slid to the left and we came to an abrupt stop. The Captain set the parking brake. I asked; 'What was that?' The Captain thought we had slid into a rut or had a nose wheel steering issue. He signaled a ground crew member below the left of the nose to come towards him; slid open his window and yelled that the Nose Wheel Steering (NWS) had malfunctioned. The ground crew member and the nose marshal moved out of sight near the nose and left wing. One of them reappeared and moved to the front and began to give us the signal to come forward. The Captain released the brakes; added power and the aircraft did not move. Once again the parking brake was set and the Captain signaled to the ground crew that the aircraft would not move. The nose marshal then moved out of sight on the left side of the fuselage. He reappeared and moved to the front of the nose; again signaling us to move ahead. The Captain again released the brake and added power; the aircraft still did not move. The Captain set the parking brake again.In the ensuing minutes we received calls from the Flight Attendants that passengers were reporting the wing had hit a truck; which turned out to be true. The left wing tip; approximately three to four feet in from the tip; impacted the ladder and left rear corner of the rear of a deicing truck. After an inspection by various entities; a tug and ground communication cord were attached to the aircraft and the Captain asked for permission to shut down the left engine. The tug eventually pushed us back fifty feet or so; the deicing truck was moved; and we were towed to the gate.


Synopsis: MD-80 flight crew experienced wing damage during taxi in to their gate in a snow storm due to contact with a deicing vehicle. Wing walkers were at each wingtip and a marshal at the nose; but an automated parking system was being used for alignment. Contact with the truck stopped the aircraft and the marshal attempted to get the Captain to taxi forward; which was not possible. Eventually passengers reported the wing contact with the truck and Flight Attendants reported it to the Captain.