Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 30
Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Ground Strike - Aircraft
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; Flight Crew Returned To Gate; General Maintenance Action
Environment - Non Weather Related; Procedure
While starting our engine; attached to the tug; and stopped only a few feet from [the] Gate; the aircraft parking at [the] Gate (next to us) clipped our wing tip; damaging the aircraft winglet.Make gate entries a straight in procedure instead of angled gate entries that bring the aircraft too close together.
While parked at [the] Gate; we were ready to call for a pushback clearance. I called for a pushback clearance with Ground Control; and we were given clearance to pushback after traffic into [the] Gate had pulled into the gate. I relayed these instructions to the Captain; which he told the Pushback Driver that we were cleared once [the] Gate had pulled into the gate. At this point; the Captain asked if we were clear to 'start two.' The Pushback Driver said he would like to slowly push us back a couple feet in order to start the engines. We rolled back several feet and came to a stop; and I proceeded with the engine start of both engines at the Captain's request. While monitoring the start sequence of the number one engine; we felt several jolts to the aircraft. At this point; we looked at the right wingtip; and noticed that it had been damaged by the aircraft pulling into [the] Gate (adjacent gate). The Captain told the Pushback Driver about the damage and he pulled us back into the gate. We deplaned all the Passengers without any further incidence.
A B737-700 ready for pushback was struck by another B737 taxiing into the adjacent gate and sustained wingtip damage. The aircraft returned to the gate.