Narrative:

We were flying anc-hnl. We had a jumpseater, xx, a maintenance inspector out of anc. About 1 1/2 hours into the flight xx asked me, 'if I knock on the door, will you let me back in?' I replied yes, and he left the cockpit. A few mins later he returned, the door was opened without knocking, and I assumed a flight attendant let him in. But he sat down and said, 'you know, this door was unlocked.' I examined it, found nothing wrong, and relocked it. I said that perhaps a flight attendant had unlocked it, but I didn't believe that explanation myself, because firstly, no one had entered or left since xx had left, and secondly, the first flight attendant was someone who would not allow that, especially not with a federal agent on board. Sometime later, xx announced he was leaving again, and when he opened the cockpit door, I was in a perfect position to observe the doorknob. I watched xx twist the doorknob clockwise with his right hand, and the door opened. Then he brought his right index finger up, and with the second knuckle, flipped the doorknob lock lever up to the vertical, unlocked position. This was done with a very deliberate motion -- it was not done by accident. He then exited and shut the door behind him, leaving it unlocked. I reached over and locked it again, and immediately told the captain and the first officer. When xx returned we said nothing, but I baby-sat him, checking the door every few mins in case he tried it again. This was very distracting. Just before the descent, he moved from the second observer's seat to the first, behind the captain. I glanced back to the doorknob lock lever, and saw that it was now in the downward vertical, unlocked position, and realized that xx had again unlocked the door behind my back. I looked over at xx, who by now had strapped himself in, and saw that he had fallen fast asleep. I locked the door, then opened and shut it hard, just to see if the lock lever could have fallen out of the lock position. It held fast. I whispered to the first officer that xx had done it again. Throughout the descent, I periodically checked on both xx and the doorknob lock lever to make sure that xx would not try unlocking the door again. We landed without further incident. I was completely shocked that someone charged with the responsibility of overseeing airline operations, as is xx would be playing such a petty CAT-and-mouse game. Such was my disbelief that I was too dumbfounded to recognize my own responsibility to remove such a threat to cockpit security, FAA inspector or not. At best, xx was creating a distraction for the flight crew. At worst, he was creating a bonafide opportunity for a hijacker to gain easy access to the cockpit by continually unlocking the door. Immediately upon witnessing xx unlock the door, I should have followed him out the door and instructed the first flight attendant to find him a seat in the back, and called for airport security to meet us upon arrival. If he was conducting some bizarre test, how did I know he would not shut off the fuel to an engine, to see how we would handle that? I should have immediately treated him as an unstable crackpot, and barred him from the cockpit. I think, in retrospect, all 3 of us were intimidated by his position to the point that we failed to discharge our duties to maintain cockpit security. Next time I will call a spade a spade, and remove the person from the cockpit, be he a federal agent, the pope, president or whomever.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: OBSERVER OCCUPYING JUMP SEAT ALLEGEDLY AN FAA MAINT INSPECTOR OUT OF SEA ALLEGEDLY DELIBERATELY OPENED LOCK ON COCKPIT CABIN DOOR REPEATEDLY LEAVING DOOR UNLOCKED.

Narrative: WE WERE FLYING ANC-HNL. WE HAD A JUMPSEATER, XX, A MAINT INSPECTOR OUT OF ANC. ABOUT 1 1/2 HRS INTO THE FLT XX ASKED ME, 'IF I KNOCK ON THE DOOR, WILL YOU LET ME BACK IN?' I REPLIED YES, AND HE LEFT THE COCKPIT. A FEW MINS LATER HE RETURNED, THE DOOR WAS OPENED WITHOUT KNOCKING, AND I ASSUMED A FLT ATTENDANT LET HIM IN. BUT HE SAT DOWN AND SAID, 'YOU KNOW, THIS DOOR WAS UNLOCKED.' I EXAMINED IT, FOUND NOTHING WRONG, AND RELOCKED IT. I SAID THAT PERHAPS A FLT ATTENDANT HAD UNLOCKED IT, BUT I DIDN'T BELIEVE THAT EXPLANATION MYSELF, BECAUSE FIRSTLY, NO ONE HAD ENTERED OR LEFT SINCE XX HAD LEFT, AND SECONDLY, THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT WAS SOMEONE WHO WOULD NOT ALLOW THAT, ESPECIALLY NOT WITH A FEDERAL AGENT ON BOARD. SOMETIME LATER, XX ANNOUNCED HE WAS LEAVING AGAIN, AND WHEN HE OPENED THE COCKPIT DOOR, I WAS IN A PERFECT POS TO OBSERVE THE DOORKNOB. I WATCHED XX TWIST THE DOORKNOB CLOCKWISE WITH HIS R HAND, AND THE DOOR OPENED. THEN HE BROUGHT HIS R INDEX FINGER UP, AND WITH THE SECOND KNUCKLE, FLIPPED THE DOORKNOB LOCK LEVER UP TO THE VERT, UNLOCKED POS. THIS WAS DONE WITH A VERY DELIBERATE MOTION -- IT WAS NOT DONE BY ACCIDENT. HE THEN EXITED AND SHUT THE DOOR BEHIND HIM, LEAVING IT UNLOCKED. I REACHED OVER AND LOCKED IT AGAIN, AND IMMEDIATELY TOLD THE CAPT AND THE FO. WHEN XX RETURNED WE SAID NOTHING, BUT I BABY-SAT HIM, CHKING THE DOOR EVERY FEW MINS IN CASE HE TRIED IT AGAIN. THIS WAS VERY DISTRACTING. JUST BEFORE THE DSCNT, HE MOVED FROM THE SECOND OBSERVER'S SEAT TO THE FIRST, BEHIND THE CAPT. I GLANCED BACK TO THE DOORKNOB LOCK LEVER, AND SAW THAT IT WAS NOW IN THE DOWNWARD VERT, UNLOCKED POS, AND REALIZED THAT XX HAD AGAIN UNLOCKED THE DOOR BEHIND MY BACK. I LOOKED OVER AT XX, WHO BY NOW HAD STRAPPED HIMSELF IN, AND SAW THAT HE HAD FALLEN FAST ASLEEP. I LOCKED THE DOOR, THEN OPENED AND SHUT IT HARD, JUST TO SEE IF THE LOCK LEVER COULD HAVE FALLEN OUT OF THE LOCK POS. IT HELD FAST. I WHISPERED TO THE FO THAT XX HAD DONE IT AGAIN. THROUGHOUT THE DSCNT, I PERIODICALLY CHKED ON BOTH XX AND THE DOORKNOB LOCK LEVER TO MAKE SURE THAT XX WOULD NOT TRY UNLOCKING THE DOOR AGAIN. WE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. I WAS COMPLETELY SHOCKED THAT SOMEONE CHARGED WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF OVERSEEING AIRLINE OPS, AS IS XX WOULD BE PLAYING SUCH A PETTY CAT-AND-MOUSE GAME. SUCH WAS MY DISBELIEF THAT I WAS TOO DUMBFOUNDED TO RECOGNIZE MY OWN RESPONSIBILITY TO REMOVE SUCH A THREAT TO COCKPIT SECURITY, FAA INSPECTOR OR NOT. AT BEST, XX WAS CREATING A DISTR FOR THE FLC. AT WORST, HE WAS CREATING A BONAFIDE OPPORTUNITY FOR A HIJACKER TO GAIN EASY ACCESS TO THE COCKPIT BY CONTINUALLY UNLOCKING THE DOOR. IMMEDIATELY UPON WITNESSING XX UNLOCK THE DOOR, I SHOULD HAVE FOLLOWED HIM OUT THE DOOR AND INSTRUCTED THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT TO FIND HIM A SEAT IN THE BACK, AND CALLED FOR ARPT SECURITY TO MEET US UPON ARR. IF HE WAS CONDUCTING SOME BIZARRE TEST, HOW DID I KNOW HE WOULD NOT SHUT OFF THE FUEL TO AN ENG, TO SEE HOW WE WOULD HANDLE THAT? I SHOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY TREATED HIM AS AN UNSTABLE CRACKPOT, AND BARRED HIM FROM THE COCKPIT. I THINK, IN RETROSPECT, ALL 3 OF US WERE INTIMIDATED BY HIS POS TO THE POINT THAT WE FAILED TO DISCHARGE OUR DUTIES TO MAINTAIN COCKPIT SECURITY. NEXT TIME I WILL CALL A SPADE A SPADE, AND REMOVE THE PERSON FROM THE COCKPIT, BE HE A FEDERAL AGENT, THE POPE, PRESIDENT OR WHOMEVER.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.