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An air carrier captain grabbed a toddler who nearly fell through the opening between the rubber jetway bumper and the aircraft door frame because the gap between the two was too wide.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1094978 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201306 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Dusk |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Large Transport Low Wing 2 Turbojet Eng |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Parked |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown |
Narrative:
We arrived at our assigned gate. I happened to be standing outside the main cabin door when a toddler stepped out of the plane onto the rubber bumper between the plane and jetway. She fell backward toward the widening gap forward of the main cabin door and the lower main door hinge. I grabbed the young girl before she fell any further. I was frightened by what almost happened and stopped deplaning so the jetway could be moved closer. The agent informed me that one to two inches was now the requirement by the company. I am writing this report to let someone know this may not be the best solution to prevent damage to an aircraft if we injure one passenger. Perhaps the jetway could have been positioned differently but; the way it was; this child could have fallen all the way to the ground. The gap forward of the main cabin door opened up an even greater distance than at the door opening.I recommend that when the jetway is placed at the main cabin door that no more than a one inch gap is between the plane and the jetway at not only the door opening but on both sides of the door as well for a foot in either direction.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: An air carrier Captain grabbed a toddler who nearly fell through the opening between the rubber jetway bumper and the aircraft door frame because the gap between the two was too wide.
Narrative: We arrived at our assigned gate. I happened to be standing outside the main cabin door when a toddler stepped out of the plane onto the rubber bumper between the plane and jetway. She fell backward toward the widening gap forward of the main cabin door and the lower main door hinge. I grabbed the young girl before she fell any further. I was frightened by what almost happened and stopped deplaning so the jetway could be moved closer. The Agent informed me that one to two inches was now the requirement by the company. I am writing this report to let someone know this may not be the best solution to prevent damage to an aircraft if we injure one passenger. Perhaps the jetway could have been positioned differently but; the way it was; this child could have fallen all the way to the ground. The gap forward of the main cabin door opened up an even greater distance than at the door opening.I recommend that when the jetway is placed at the main cabin door that no more than a one inch gap is between the plane and the jetway at not only the door opening but on both sides of the door as well for a foot in either direction.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.